Skateboarding Lessons
by Kaorei
Summary: Roxas Uchiyama admired Xion Uchida from afar, while she never paid much attention to him. In her opinion, he was just like any other popular boy; cocky, annoying and definitely not someone worth wasting time with. But he was far from her definition of him. And he was willing to prove it to her through one thing: skateboarding lessons.
1. One Chance

Summary : Roxas Uchiyama and Xion Uchida never really paid attention to each other. They both lived in different worlds; Roxas is your typical skater boy and Xion is your ordinary tomboy. However, when Xion is learning how to skateboard, and Roxas is the one teaching her, will something happen between them?

Hello! This story randomly popped into my mind while looking for a skateboard with my friend. Since it's summer, I have LOTS of time to work on it! My parents have work, so I'm usually stuck at home playing video games, going on the computer or..well, sleeping. Anyways, I'm not here to rant about how..dull my summer's gonna be, so here! By the way, it's in Xion's POV for now, POV's might change in the course of the story. Now, on with the story!

_**Disclaimer : I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Tetsuya Noruma.**_

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 1

One Chance

"Oh, Xion, why'd you have to be such a.." my best friend, Olette Hirasawa, trailed off. "..Boy?" I cringed at what she said.

"You talk." I snapped back, scanning the skateboards before me. "You're always with Hayner and Pence. Not to mention, top scorer in Sitar Hero, most kills in Black Ops and on the _boys'_ soccer team." The brunette next to me sighed.

"Can't argue with that." she shrugged. "So, tell me again; _why_ do you want to skateboard?"

"Because." I simply answered.

"Because..?" she asked, gesturing me to continue.

"I've seen people do awesome tricks on skateboards, I wanna be as good as them." I picked up a navy blue skateboard and examined it. It was cool, until I saw the baby blue flower print on the curve of it. I grimaced, then set it down.

"Who's gonna teach you?" she handed me a fire red skateboard with orange flames. I smiled at it and placed the board under my arm, still scanning the shelves.

"Maybe Vanitas, he's like a brother to me, but he still isn't sure. And besides, he's the only one who knows how to skateboard in our group." I replied, looking at her with a smile on my face. "Hopefully, he'll teach me how to Air Walk or do a three-sixty flip!" Olette smiled at my enthusiasm.

"Hey, if you're lucky, it might be _Roxas Uchiyama_." she smirked.

"Argh, not him!" I yelled, grabbing the attention of many people in the store. Oops. "He thinks he's _so_ cool, because he's popular, he skateboards and has that oh-so-awesome hair! Oh, number one basketball player in the guys' team? Well, I'm number one in the girls'!" I ranted on and on, while Olette just smirked the whole way.

"Okay, okay. Geez. One name and you go all berserk." I huffed, grabbing a white and black skateboard. (A/N : It's the skateboard used in KH2. I dunno how to describe it..) I smiled; it was good enough.

"You're not taking the red one?" Olette asked. I set the fire red skateboard in one of the empty shelves.

"Nah, it looks too..pyromaniac-y. Come on, let's go pay." I said, walking over to the counter. I placed it on the table and the store clerk picked it up to scan it.

"Good choice. It'll be 35 munny." he said. I handed him the exact amount of munny needed and typically, he said, "have a nice day."

Olette and I exited the store, heading to Vanitas's house, which was about a block away. I decided to try out my new skateboard, so I hopped onto it. When I was sure I was perfectly balanced, I pushed the ground with my foot, but ended up falling on my back.

"Ow.." I mumbled, facing the blue sky. Olette ran to my side.

"Good luck with those lessons." she giggled, while I glared at her. I stood up, dusted myself and picked up my skateboard.

"It's a lot harder than I thought.." I said, massaging the back of my head. We continued walking and finally, we arrived at Vanitas's house. I rang the doorbell, then knocked on the door three times.

"Vani! I know you're in there!" I called out. A few seconds later, the door opened. Standing there was Vanitas with an icepack on his head, a black blanket hugging his body and paler skin than usual.

"What the heck do you want?" he asked, rudely.

"Uhh.." was my smart response. So, instead of talking, I lifted up my skateboard.

"Gee, Xion. I'm sick, as you can tell." he rolled his eyes. Wow, he's still as cold as ice, even when he's sick.

"Yeah, yeah." I said. "Didn't need to be so crabby about it.." I pouted. He sighed.

"Maybe when I get better." he said. Oh, how many times have I heard that before.

"Uh, nevermind. I'll go find someone else." I shrugged, hopping off the porch. "Bye!" Without answering, he shut the door.

"Well," Olette said. "He was in a good mood." I giggled. The two of us headed towards my house and sat on the steps of my white porch. Olette stared into space, her elbows resting on her knees and both of her hands on her two cheeks. I had both my arms on the sides of my waist and my right foot was rolling my skateboard back and forth.

"Any idea who's gonna teach you?" the brunette beside me asked. I shook my head.

"Nop- Crap!" I said as I watched my skateboard roll away. I jumped to my feet, running after it. When I was about five steps away from my skateboard, someone picked it up. I was about to scream at that person that it was mine, until the person handed it to me. When I looked up to see who it was, I came face-to-face with..well, Roxas Uchiyama. Ugh.

"Here," he said, holding it out. I could feel Olette smirking behind me.

"Thanks." I said in a monotone voice. I snatched the board out of his hands, turning around. Just walk away, Xion. Just walk away.

"Wait," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You're..Xion, right?" He said, pronouncing my name as 'Ek-see-on'. I turned around, facing him.

"Close enough; it's pronounced 'She-on'." I replied flatly. He smiled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry," he said, taking a look at my skateboard one more time. "You know how?" he pointed at it.

"Well..my friend Vanitas is supposed to teach me, but he's sick." Stupid Vanitas. Why'd you have to get sick at the worse, possible time?

"Really?" he said. Please don't say it, please don't say it. "..I could teach you if you want." Ugh, I knew this was coming.

"Hmm.." I placed a finger on my chin, pretending to think. After three seconds, I looked at his blue eyes. "No." I turned on my heel and walked towards my house.

"Aw, why not?" he ran in front of me, stopping me in my tracks.

"Well, you're too much of a show-off and it's completely and utterly annoying when you think you're _so_ cool and.." I shut my mouth. I think I said too much.

"Ouch." he said. There was an awkward silence between us. "But, I won't be like that, promise."

"No thanks. I'll wait until my friend gets better."

"Come on, one chance. Just one." I glared.

"No." he sighed in defeat.

"Okay, then. But, let me know when you change your mind." he skateboard-ed away. When he disappeared in the distance, I walked back to Olette and sat next to her, sighing.

"What happened?" she asked.

"He wants to teach me how to skateboard."

"Really? Wow. What'd you say?"

"Obviously, no!"

"Hey, come on, give him a chance at least. He could be nice."

"He's nice, but it's just the cocky side of him that's really annoying."

"Don't be so mean about it, Xion. You barely even know the guy."

"..True. Fine, fine. I'll be nice." I said. "I'll tell him tomorrow."

Somewhere inside of me is telling me that I'm going to regret this.

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><p>So..? Good? Bad? Review please! Suggestions accepted! Flames accepted too, since it isn't the best story I've come up with so far. And, I know it's short. It's kinda like a prologue. :)<p> 


	2. Lesson One

OH, I'M SORRY! It's already been a week. :( I'm sorry, it's because I went to New York with my family and things popped up. Please forgive meh. D: But anyways, I'm back with another chapter of the story! Please enjoy and I hope this is good enough. Oh, I decided to keep it at Xion's POV for now. And thank you so much for the reviews, faves and alerts! :D

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 2

Lesson One

_"Don't worry, I'll catch you if you fall." Roxas assured me, smiling. He held my waist firmly, while I was on my skateboard._

_"O-Okay," I said. I pushed the ground with my foot. My skateboard started rolling along the path as I smiled. "Roxas! I'm doing it! I'm actually ska- AH!" I slipped off the board, closing my eyes, waiting for the pain to come. Halfway through my fall, I felt someone catch me. I met up with a pair of sapphire eyes once I opened mine._

_"Told you," he grinned. I hopped off the skateboard and we both sat next to each other. I looked down, blushing, when I noticed that our faces were inches apart. Slowly, he placed two fingers on my chin, lifting it up so that our faces would be leveled. He closed his eyes, moving closer to me as my heart was beating faster and faster. He placed his lips against mine, the sun setting in the distance._

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><p>"GROSS! GET AWAY, PER-" I punched the air violently, then stopped. I just realized I had woken up from a dream. Well, nightmare actually. "-vert." Ew, what kind of dream was that? And why did I dream about Roxas, of all people?<p>

Then I remembered; skateboarding lessons. Today. Give Roxas a chance.

Dang it, Olette! Why'd you have to be so convincing? She can't force me, I know. But, she has this gift for making me feel all guilty and..Yeah.

Once I took a glance at my alarm clock, which read eight o' clock, I did my usual morning routine. When I was all dressed up in my uniform, which consisted of a white polo shirt, a plaid light blue tie and a plaid light blue skirt, I walked to the kitchen to eat some breakfast. My dad was reading the newspaper while my mom just finished cooking the eggs and bacon. I walked to my usual chair and sat down.

"Good morning," I said. My dad greeted me back as my mom placed a plate of eggs and bacon strips in front of me. She gave me a kiss on the head, which I quickly rubbed off.

Once I finished eating, there was a knock on the door. Thinking it was Olette, I raced to the door and opened it smiling. However, my smile faded when I came face to face with, once again, Roxas. He had this huge, annoying smile on his face that I just want to rip it off.

"Hey, I just wanted to know if you changed your mind or something.." he said. Well, here it goes.

"Okay, well, I decided that maybe it wouldn't be so bad.." His smile grows even wider.

"Awesome! Meet you today at Station Plaza at five o' clock, okay? Oh, and I have a surprise for you afterwards!" he exclaimed, walking down the porch. He waves goodbye and runs to his friends, heading toward the direction to school.

I walked back inside the house and grabbed my backpack. After I said goodbye to my parents, I walked out the door and looked up at the blue sky. It was clear that summer was on its way, finally! I stuck my headphones in my ears, listening to a Japanese song; Passion by Utada Hikaru. After taking the shortcut to school, I saw Vanitas in the other end of the street.

"Hi, Vani!" I grinned, running up to him. He turns around, glaring at me.

"I told you not to call me that!" he yelled, his voice sounding a little scratchy. I giggled as we both continued walking.

"Meh, too bad. I'm used to it already." I shrugged. "Oh, right." I punched his shoulder.

"What the heck was _that_ for?" he yelled, louder.

"For getting sick at the worst, possible time." I huffed. "Because of your sickness, Uchiyama has to teach me how to skateboard."

"Uchiyama? Oh, your boyfriend, right?" I tried to send another punch, but he dodged it, smirking.

"He is _not_ my boyfriend." I glared.

"You know I'm kidding, geez. Good luck, though. I can imagine you falling off the board everytime."

"Oh, shut up."

After a few more minutes of stupid jokes and random subjects, we finally reached Twilight High. Typically, the jocks were doing tricks with a soccer ball, the nerds were studying for an upcoming exam, the girly girls were fixing their hair and so on.

"Hey, what do you have first?" Vanitas asked me.

"Art, you?" I asked.

"Math. How wonderful, I'm stuck with that happy-go-lucky dork again." he sighed. Sora. He's not so bad, really. Vanitas only hates him because they're complete opposites. I'm not kidding.

"Well, I'll see you in second, then." we both seperated and walked through the endless corridors of the school. I finally arrived to my destination and sat next to my friend Pence. He's a really nice boy, a little bit on the chubby side, but he's really trustworthy and fun.

"Hey, Xion!" he greeted me as I said "Hi!" in return. When the final bell rang, the teacher stopped writing in her notebook. She started passing out large sheets of paper, paint brushes and different colors of paint to each table.

"Okay, class. I want you to paint a view." there were many confused faces in the class. "For example, maybe the view of the night sky from your bedroom or the sunrise from the hill in Sunset Terrace. Do you understand?" everyone nodded and started scribbling on the paper with a pencil. On the board, it said that it will be due in five classes.

"What're you gonna draw?" Pence asked, facing me. I shrugged.

"I have no idea. Maybe the view of the sea in Destiny Islands?" I shrugged. "You?"

"The sunrise in Hollow Bastion, it's really nice there." I drew a few views on a piece of paper, unsatisfied with each one. When I still haven't decided on what to draw, the bell rang. What the heack? It was nine thirty two seconds ago! Oh, well.

"See you at lunch!" Pence said before walking out of the class.

I walked out at my turn, but I accidentally bumped into someone, causing them to drop everything in their hands. I rubbed my head and apologized.

"Don't worry, it was my fault." the person said. He grabbed his things and left before I could say anything else. Shrugging it off, I walked to my locker to get my History books. Walking to class, I noticed Roxas and Namine talking to each other. I walked past them, only to catch a glimpse of their conversation.

"You wanna come over tonight? I got this new CD and.." Namine said. Roxas shook his head.

"Sorry, Namine. I'm teaching Xion how to skateboard. Maybe another time." he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh." was all she said.

I entered class a few minutes later and sat next to Olette.

"Ready for your date with Roxas?" she teased. I growled.

"It is _not_ a date! Wait, how'd you know I..?" I trailed off.

"Vanitas." she simply answered. Of course. "Oh, and his groupie was talking about it all Math class." After she said that, Namine and her friends came walking into class and sat down, talking and giggling uncontrollably. At one point, she waved at me. Weird..

The bell suddenly rang as the teacher ran into class. Once he settled down, he started teaching us about the Keyblade Wars and Radiant Garden, which was once named Hollow Bastion. Throughout the whole class, I couldn't help but wonder why Namine would wave at me. You know, maybe she was waving at the person behind me. Yeah, she was probably waving at - I turned my head a little - Kairi. Well, they _are_ best friends..

Class finally ended as Olette and I exited the classroom.

"Hey, Xion, you okay? You looked a little..insecure in class." Olette asked.

"Yeah, no worries. History just makes sleepy and all." I said. Hey, it isn't a lie, History's just so..bleh.

"Okay, then. Come on, Hayner, Pence and Vanitas are waiting!" we ran to our lockers, shoved our books in, grabbed our lunch and raced to our usual lunch table outside. Pence was munching on some chips while Vanitas was drinking a soda.

"Hey," Olette and I said in unison. Hayner then came into the scene.

"I was able to get the last plate of curry and rice!" Hayner exclaimed happily.

"Is that such a big deal?" Vanitas asked.

"Only because I got it before Seifer did! Ha!" everyone in the table sweatdropped.

"You loser." Olette teased, smiling. Hayner then sat next to her, grinning. It's obvious they both like each other.

"Don't forget, Station Plaza tonight!" Roxas said behind me before running off to his friends.

"Geez, he makes it sound like a date." Vanitas commented.

"I know." I sighed heavily.

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><p>The afternoon passed like a blur and soon enough, I was at home.<p>

Looking through my small closet, I took out a pair of black basketball shorts, a violet tank top and a gray hoodie. When I finished dressing up, I ran downstairs to put my converse on and grabbed my skateboard.

"Bye mom! Bye dad!" I yelled and walked to the Plaza. Roxas was there, doing a few tricks with his skateboard. Psh, show-off.

"Xion!" he called out, skateboarding toward me. "I was so sure you wouldn't come." he scratched the back of his head.

"I'm not _that_ mean.." I said, sighing. He smiled apologetically.

"Anyways, I'll teach you the basics first." I stood on my skateboard, holding my arms out to balance myself.

"Good, now.." he explained a few things to me and gave me a few tips and pointers. "Go ahead, try it out." I nodded.

"You better not make me fall!" I yelled, catching off balance again.

"Don't worry, I'll catch you." he assured. Roxas was holding my waist as I tried to regain my balance. When I was perfectly still, I pushed the ground with my foot. I felt Roxas let go of my waist and felt the breeze travel right past me. I smiled happily.

"Hey, this isn't so har- WOAH!" I slipped off the board, closing my eyes as I waited for the pain to come. When it never did, I opened my eyes to meet up with Roxas's. Wow, deja vu much?

"See?" he smiled, helping me up. I felt my face get hot.

"Th-Thank you." I said, quietly.

"Don't worry about it, as long as I'm here, I won't let you fall." he smiled warmly. After a few more explanations, falls and board-chasing, Roxas decided to give me my 'reward'.

"Come on, follow me." he said. He lead me to the marketplace in Twilight Town and walked over to an ice cream stand.

"Wait here." he said. I nodded as I watched him buy two blue bars of ice cream. He came back and handed me one of the frozen treats in his hand.

"What kind of flavor is this?" I asked.

"It's sea salt ice cream. Go on, try it! It's my favorite." he said, licking his own. I obeyed, savouring the unfamiliar flavor. It was definately salty, but it became sweet after a while.

"It's salty, yet sweet." I giggled.

"I said the same thing when my friend Axel made me try one." he said. "Check your stick when you're done, by the way. If it says 'WINNER', you could get a free ice cream." I nodded, taking another lick.

"Oh, your reward isn't over yet." he grinned.

"It isn't?" I asked. He shook his head, grabbing my hand as we walked back to Station Plaza.

"Close your eyes, no peaking." he demanded. As curious as I am, I closed my eyes; blackness surrounding me.

"Watch your steps." the blonde said. We were going up some stairs and when he abruptly stopped, I heard a door open.

"Now; open!" he said. I opened both of my eyes, shocked by the beautiful view before me. We were on top of the clock tower and the most brightest sunset was right in front of me.

"Roxas.." I was at a loss for words.

"Nice, huh?" he said, sitting over the edge. I sat next to him, not too close, still admiring the view.

"It's amazing!" I exclaimed. "How did you know about this place?"

"I was getting out of the train from Traverse Town. Since there were a lot of people, someone pushed me and I hit the door to the steps. So, I climbed up the stairs and found this. Simple as that." he explained. "I always go here to think or when I have a bad day."

"But, if it's your special place, why'd you show it to..me?" I asked.

"It might sound kind of stupid, but..I feel like I've known you for so long." he said. "And, it gets kind of lonely sometimes, since I'm the only one who knows this place." Reasonable, yet very cheesy.

Neither of us spoke after that last said. Silence took over and the only sounds heard were the munching of our ice cream and the activities being held below us (in town). We both finished our ice cream after a while, but neither of us had a 'WINNER' stick. Oh, well. Better luck next time, right?

When the clock stroke seven thirty, Roxas stood up, still looking at the orange-red colored sky.

"Oh, Xion, I have to go." he said. I nodded as both of us walked down the steps to get back to the Station. Outside, he hopped onto his skateboard, ready to leave.

"So, you'll teach me again tomorrow..right?" I asked, sounding a little too, well, not desperate. It sounded more like 'Please-be-there-because-I-had-so-much-fun-today'.

"Of course. I'll be waiting."

"Promise?" he nodded.

"See you tomorrow!" he pushed the ground, rolling away slowly. Before he disappeared, I was able to tell him one last thing.

"Roxas!" he stopped rolling and turned around to see me.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." I smiled.

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><p>Thank you for reading another chapter of the story! I'll try to update as soon as possible this time. Don't forget to review before clicking that little 'x' button on the top corner of the screen! They're highly appreciated! :)<p> 


	3. Weekly Plans

See? I told you it wouldn't take me as long as before! Thanks for the reviews, by the way, and please enjoy chapter three of the story! Still in Xion's POV, just so you know. And sorry this chapter isn't so good, the next one is better..I hope. This one is more of a usual school day thing.

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 3

Weekly Plans

"And, that's everything we did yesterday." I told Olette on the phone. She was quiet for a while.

"Wait, are you sure that's what he said? 'It feels like I've known you for so long.'?" she asked for about the fifteenth time. I facepalmed.

"_Yes_, Olette." I replied, sighing.

"Wow. First lesson and he's already flirting with you. That's big!" I could practically feel her smiling through the phone.

"He was _not_ flirting with me." Come on, me, of every other girl in the school? Wouldn't Namine be a better match for him?

"Hey, it's possible. Anyways, I gotta go. See you at school tomorrow?" she yawned on the other end of the phone. I can't blame her, we were talking for two hours already.

"Of course. G'night!" I said before hanging up.

I turned off the lights, replaying the whole afternoon in my head.

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><p>BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.<p>

The alarm just went off. Groaning, I punched the top of my alarm clock and stretched my arms. Still feeling a little lazy, I decided to rest for five more minutes. My head made contact with my soft pillow and I closed my eyes for a few seconds.

A few seconds? Psh, yeah right. When I opened my eyes, guess what time it was?

Eight thirty seven. Class starts at nine.

Rushing out of bed, I did a quick morning routine and carelessly threw my uniform on. I grabbed my backpack, along with some toast, and raced out of the house.

"Bye mom! Bye dad!" I yelled from outside, seeing my mom wave before closing the door. I finished my toast, wiping the messy crumbs off my face and my uniform. I went through the shortcut and seeing the clock tower in the distance, I still had about eight more minutes before class.

Finally, Twilight High was in sight, but no one was outside anymore. I forcefully opened the door and ran to my locker, grabbing the things I needed for Science. When I had all my books in my hand, I ran through the hallways as fast as my legs could carry me.

Luckily, I was able to get to class before the final bell rang. I earned a few weird stares, mostly because I was panting heavily. I composed myself and sat next to Vanitas, who was giving me a funny look.

"Late again, I see." he said, smirking. His voice still sounded scratchy due to his sickness, but it's getting better.

"Slept in." I replied.

"How were the lessons yesterday?" he asked in a monotone voice, that it barely sounded like a question.

"Surprisingly..I had a really good time. We had ice cream afterwards." I took out the clock tower part. It's not that I didn't trust him, but it's Roxas's special place, not mine.

"Oh, really?" he coughed, not sarcastically like he always does. This was because of his sickness, like I said. "Do you still want me to teach you when I get better?" I shook my head.

"It's okay. Roxas isn't so bad after all." I shrugged.

"You never know, maybe he might lik-"

"Oi, Vanitas! Remember when you fell off your chair yesterday in Math class?" Sora said, popping out of nowhere. He laughed a little while Vanitas looked like he was going to explode.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." he rolled his eyes.

"You have to admit, that was kinda funny." he said before walking back to his desk. Vanitas shot him a look that perfectly read 'Did-you-really-walk-over-here-just-to-say-that?', while Sora just smiled back and nodded. Vanitas and I sweatdropped.

"Idiot." Vanitas mumbled.

After what seemed like an eternity, Science class finally ended. I don't hate Science, it's just the teacher. I can never take him seriously, especially when he makes this sort of turkey sound. (A/N : LOL, guess who? Vexen!) Anyways, once I said goodbye to Vanitas, I met up with Hayner in the hallway.

"Yo," he greeted.

"Hey, what do you have now?" I asked.

"English and I'm guessing you have Gym with Olette?" I nodded happily.

"See you at lunch, then! Oh, and be sure to get the last plate of today's dish before Seifer does again," I teased. He smiled and left to class.

At my locker, I grabbed my gym uniform and walked to the girls' locker room. There's one thing I hate about the gym uniform; the shorts are too short, giving the boys an advantage to take a better look at our legs. Perverts.

I entered the locker room as Olette greeted me.

"What do you think we're doing today?" I asked. The brunnette shrugged.

"Hopefully, we're playing basketball." she replied. Hopefully.

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><p>"We're running laps today!" Coach exclaimed. The whole class groaned. "Don't give me that. I have to evaluate each one of you. So, girls first!"<p>

Typically, Olette and I were ahead of the other girls running. Those girls were more worried about their hair than failing.

"Hey, wanna watch a movie tonight?" Olette asked between pants.

"Sorry, skateboarding lessons today." we turned right.

"Oh, right." she said. "Maybe this Friday, then?" I nodded.

"Sure," I smiled.

Surprisingly, Gym ended quickly. Nothing that interesting happened, really. We just ran laps, then did whatever we wanted for the final minutes before the bell rang. Once Olette and I finished changing into our uniform, we went to both of our lockers and walked to our lunch table outside. Only Hayner was there, sulking. He played with his food, then greeted us smugly when we sat down.

"What happened? Seifer got the last dish?" Olette asked. Hayner looked up at us, annoyed, and nodded.

"Aww, poor baby." I teased as Olette giggled. Vanitas then appeared out of nowhere, holding his lunch.

"Another class with stupid was so freaking annoying." he sneered, forcefully munching on his sandwich.

"Hey, Sora isn't _that_ bad." Olette defended.

"Yeah, but when you're complete opposites with someone, it's really irritating. And that smile he has all the time, it makes him seem like the winner of _everything_; even when he loses. He just pisses me off." I sweatdropped. Soon enough, Pence arrived.

"Oi, anyone busy this Friday?" the cheerful brunet asked.

"Well, actually, me and Xion were planning to go watch a movie." Olette said. Hayner perked up.

"A movie? Mind if we tag along?" a smile suddenly found its way to Hayner's face.

"Not at all, you guys up for it?" I asked, earning three nods.

"Now that we've decided..can I have your cookies?" Pence asked. I sweatdropped, handing him my chocolate chip cookies.

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><p>Nothing interesting happened in third or fourth, really. I just had some work to finish is all, it was a usual, boring day of school.<p>

I finally reached my house after a few minutes of walking and stalked up the stairs to my room. I changed from my light blue uniform, to a plain red t-shirt and dark blue capris. I grabbed my skateboard, scurried down the stairs once more and put my shoes on.

"See you guys later!" I yelled, hearing them say bye from the living room.

I rolled, more like rolled for a bit, fall, then repeat, until I finally reached Station Plaza. Roxas was there, sitting on his skateboard. When he saw me, he stood up and smiled while I ran up to him.

"Sorry if I took long," I said. He shook his head slowly.

"You didn't, don't worry." he assured. "So, ready? I'll teach you how to jump in midair today." I nodded, letting him explain the many things I needed to know.

"To start off, let me just assure you that it isn't that hard. You just have to.." he went on, explaining and demonstrating the new move. "Try it out,"

I nodded, pushing the ground to make my skateboard roll. When I was sure I was perfectly balanced and ready, I knelt down and held onto one side of my skateboard. With all my force, I propped myself up and suddenly found myself in midair. I smiled happily, though lost balance and concentration since I was too caught up in the moment. My board flew off on its own and I started falling backwards.

"Roxas!" I screamed. And, as girly and clich as it sounds, Roxas caught me bridal style.

"Woah, that was so close." he said, panting.

"Uh, thanks. Again. For..uh, c-catching me." I stuttered. "Mind putting me down now?" he blushed, putting me down carefully as if I was really fragile.

"Heh, sorry." he scratched the back of his head. "Do you wanna try it again?" As scary as that first experience was..I'm determined to master it.

After many more falls, catches and flying skateboards, we both decided to get some ice cream.

"You still want sea salt ice cream? Or maybe another flavor?" he asked.

"Sea salt ice cream again," I said. I'm not kidding, that flavor was delicious. "And I'll pay today."

"No, it's okay, I'll pay." he said sweetly.

"Come on, think of it as a thanks for these skatebaording lessons." I said.

"Well..okay then." he shrugged. I smiled, heading towards the ice cream stand.

"Two sea salt ice cream bars, please." I politely asked.

"Sure," she replied, while digging through a small freezer. "Are you a friend of Roxas's?"

"Um, yeah. I guess you could call us friends." I said. She then hands me two blue bars as I gave her some munny.

"Have a nice day, you two." she said, smiling. I walked back to Roxas and gave him one of the bars.

"Thanks, Xion." he said. We walked back to Station Plaza and entered the Train Station. We walked up the endless pit of stairs, but it was all worth it for a beautiful view.

"Hey, Xion?" he asked, not looking at me. However, I looked at him. "You heard of the Struggle Tournament, right?"

"Of course, I watch it every year with my friends. Sometimes, my friend Hayner enters. Why?" I said, licking my ice cream after answering.

"Because I entered the one this Saturday, do you..maybe want to come watch..me?" he asked shyly.

"Sure," I automatically said.

"Really? You'll come?" he grinned, looking at me now.

"Promise." I smiled.

We talked for quite some time, until I had to leave at seven o' clock. We walked down the stairs and a million thoughts were running thorugh my brain. Thinking about it, I shouldn't of said 'Sure' to Roxas right away. Why? Well, there would be never-ending jokes and teasing from Vanitas, nudges whenever Roxas appears from Hayner, huge mocking smiles from Pence and matchmaking attempts from Olette..But, hopefully, Hayner will join so that I wouldn't have to explain myself. Snapping out of my thoughts, we finally reached the end of the stairs and walked outside. Roxas hopped onto his board.

"See ya," he said, rolling away. He threw his ice cream stick in the garbage can and I watched him leave in the distance. I took the final bite to my ice cream, approaching the garbage can. However, something on the stick caught my eye. So, I held it closer to my face to examine it.

When I flipped the stick, the word 'WINNER' was perfectly printed on it. I smiled.

It would be a good gift for Roxas after the Struggle Tournament..

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><p>Thank you for reading! Any suggestions for the next chapter? Any problems with the story? Or maybe a few nice words to say? Please drop a review, they make me extremely happy! :)<p> 


	4. Rumors

I'm back! I wrote down all the ideas I have for this story and I'm just going to say that I might be making 35 chapters for this story. Yes, 35. It's a lot, I know. But, I'm really inspired for this story, so shush! :) Oh, and I might change the title for this story because..well, the title sounds kinda boring. Thanks for the reviews, by the way! :D

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 4

Rumors

I woke up this morning to the sound of my alarm clock, as always. I sat up and stretched my arms, yawning in the process. I lazily carried myself to the washroom to brush my teeth and do my business. Once finished, I put my uniform on and headed downstairs to eat breakfast. My breakfast was already on the table; pancakes. My dad sat on his usual chair, reading the newspaper while my mom poured sirup on my pancakes.

"Morning." I smiled.

"Morning, sweetie." my dad said, flipping a page.

"Good morning." my mom smiled. "Are the pancakes good?" I shoved a piece of the pancake in my mouth and sighed dreamily in response as my mom smiled. Mom makes the best pancakes. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Hey, I'm still eating breakfast! I sighed, putting my fork down as I ran to the front door. I opened the door to reveal my blonde-haired skateboarding tutor.

"Hey, um, I was passing by and.." he paused. "I was wondering if..you'd wanna walk to, uh, school t-together?"

"Oh, uh, sure." I said. Realizing I haven't finished breakfast yet, I was prepared to eat the fastest I can. "Wait here." He nodded as I closed the door. I shoved the whole pile of pancakes in my mouth and grabbed my backpack.

"Who's that?" my dad called out. "Your _boyfriend_?" I nearly choked on the pancakes I was slowly swallowing.

"He is _not_- Oh, whatever. Bye." I said, rolling my eyes, and I could've sworn I heard my mom say, "Teenagers."

"Sorry about that," I blushed, closing the door and turning around to face Roxas.

"Don't worry about it," he chuckled. There was an awkward silence afterwards. Neither of us knew what to say.

"So.." Roxas said, trying to start a conversation. "Uh, the cherry blossoms are really pretty this year." I nodded slowly, looking up at the cherry blossom trees.

"Yeah, they are. And summer's almost here." I said happily.

"I know, just about two more months before summer vacation," he said.

"You have anything planned for summer?" I asked.

"Well, I'm thinking of going to other places, to see what it's like. Maybe Radiant Garden or something. It'd be nice to go somewhere relaxing and all." I had to agree with that. It would be great to go back to Destiny Islands.

There was another silence and neither of us talked until we got to school.

"So, what do you have first?" What do I have again? I took a peak at my schedule and frowned. "Music." I sighed.

"Why? You don't like music?" he asked. Well, isn't it obvious?

"I hate singing in front of people. It's embarassing." I blushed at the thought. "What do _you_ have?"

"Heh, I have Music, too." he grinned.

"_Really_? What the heck? I never noticed you in class before." I thought the only class we had together was Japanese. He sweatdropped.

"That's..nice."

"N-No! Like, I never..Ah, nevermind!" I huffed while Roxas chuckled. We both walked to the end of the building, since Music class was the last class before a dead end. We entered together, earning a few stares and glares in the process. Roxas took a seat next to his friends and they talked to him, staring at me.

"Hey, Olette, why is everyone.." she frowned at me and stood up.

"As if you don't know.." she mumbled. She went to sit in the back, next to Hayner, Pence and Vanitas. What's up with her? This is the only class we're all together, not even Pence said hi. Are they all mad at me..?

The final bell rang. My teacher stood up to explain the new project..assignment..whatever it is.

"For next class, I want each of you to sing a song with a partner." there were many groans, though a few cheers as well. "I want each of you to sing a song that both of you could relate to. Not a song that talks about disturbing things or bad things-" someone in the class yelled "Why not?" as the teacher facepalmed. "Maybe you and your partner love to imagine all the possibilities in this world. Try to find a song that matches that." everyone nodded and started pulling their chairs towards their chosen partner, until..

"Oh, right. I forgot. _I_ will be deciding your teams." she said, grabbing a list. Everyone groaned. "Vanitas and Sora." I bet Vanitas is killing himself right now. "Hayner and Olette. Pence and Kairi." Wait, what? You've got to be kidding me! "Roxas and Xion." Wow.

Once the list was over, we had to get into teams to decide on our song. Roxas walked over to my place and grabbed whatever chair was closest.

"So, partner. What song do you wanna sing?" he asked.

"I don't mind. Any ideas?" I asked.

"..Hare Hare Yukai?" I gave him a weird look.

"You're kidding..right?" he chuckled.

"Well, obviously! But, I was kinda thinking of singing Passion by Utada Hika-"

"Hey! You know that song? I thought I was the only one,"

"Really? I love it, it's really relaxing and all. So, Passion it is." he smiled. I couldn't help but blush. Maybe being with him wouldn't be..Wait. No. I won't even finish that sentence. My friends are possibly mad at me and I should be worrying about _that_. Not be all happy just because someone likes the same kind of music as me. And I don't like Roxas. I don't.

When class ended, I tried to talk to Olette, but she ran out of class before I was able to. What did I do?

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><p>I finally reached Japanese class, still feeling uncomfortable because I was stared at on my way here. I went to sit in the corner of the class, since I don't really have anyone to talk to anymore.<p>

"Roxas!" I looked up to the mention of his name to see Roxas and Namine talking. Seeing them together; talking naturally, laughing at stupid jokes..They looked like the perfect couple.

The bell rang. Everyone scrambled to their seats and I couldn't help but look to see if Vanitas was at least looking at me. Unfortunately, no.

The whole class, I wasn't paying attention to a thing the teacher was talking about. I didn't care. I just want to know what I did wrong. About three times this class, I threw a note to Vanitas, but all he did was rip it apart.

Lunch finally arrived. I walked out of the classroom and grabbed my lunch, which was inside my locker. I took it, but instead of going to the table where my friends are, I decided to eat in the library. I took a manga from one of the shelves and sat on the many tables. I ate my riceballs, I won't lie, like a pig and stuffed my mouth with some cookies and other things I had in my lunch box. I eat a lot when I'm upset. Don't judge me.

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><p>This has been the longest day of my life.<p>

With a sad face on, I was emptying out my backpack, ignoring the whispers from the people passing by. I decided to wait until everyone left, not wanting to feel stared at while walking home. I was about to leave until my best friends' name popped up.

"Hey, Rikku, Paine. Did you hear the news about Olette?" a voice said. I took a peak from behind the soda machine, seeing three girls gossiping.

"No, what is it?" a cheery voice asked. The girl who spoke before looked around before continuing.

"Olette Hirasawa, her. I've heard that she slept with every guy in her class in middle school. And that she also slept with the vice principal." two gasps were heard. I listened intently.

"No way," a different voice said. The voice from before nodded. "Oh, but I heard the one with that Vanitas kid. I heard he murdered three students in this school after sleeping with them."

"Oh, oh, oh, did you know that Hayner Sasaki and Pence Taya are going out? They're both h-" I couldn't take it anymore.

"Shut up!" I said, emerging from my hiding spot. There stood a blonde, a brunette and a silver-haired girl. The blonde looked afraid while the other two looked more annoyed.

"What's your problem, eavesdropping on people's conversations?" the brunette asked, scoffing.

"What's _your_ problem spreading rumors about my friends?" I said darkly. All of a sudden, the three looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Oh, come on. We didn't start them. We just spread what everyone else says." the silver-haired girl said.

"Then who started them?" I asked. The brunette rolled her eyes.

"Don't act like you don't know." she said.

"What..What do you mean?"

"_You_ were the one who started them." W-What?

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><p>Sorry it's kinda short, but it's pretty satisfying for me. OH, BUT WHY IS XION ACCUSED OF SUCH A THING? The answer will be revealed in..a few chapters. You'll see. Don't forget to review! :)<p> 


	5. Avoidance

Hello again! Here's the next chapter. Thank you for all the reviews! Geez, I can't even think of a new title for this story, it's annoying me so much..! And I'm sorry this chapter is so short. Enjoy, though. :)

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 5

Avoidance

"M-Me? I never started those rumors! How could you say it was me?" I retorted. I would _never_ spread a rumor about my friends. Best friends, at that.

"Don't even _try_ to act all innocent about this," she said, turning her back on me. "Besides, half of the school already heard about the rumors. You can't change that." With that last said, the three girls pushed past me. I stood there, frozen in place.

Who started this..?

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><p><em>"Please leave your message at the beep. BEEP!"<em>

"Hey, Olette. It's Xion. I just wanted to tell you that I didn't start the rumors, really. You know me; I would never start rumors about you guys because..Argh, just call me back. Please.." I said, hanging up. This was the third time I called her. She never answered.

Upset, I punched down Vanitas's number on my phone. It rang a few times, then immediately went to voicemail.

_"If I don't answer, it's either because I hate you, I'm sleeping or I don't feel like talking to you. Leave a message if you want to. BEEP!"_

I hung up the phone in frustration. Why won't they let me explain? I sighed.

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><p>The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. I went to the washroom to examine myself in the mirror. My eyes were kinda red and I had dry liquid on my cheeks. Wow, I cried in my sleep? That's a first.<p>

After my morning routine, I went to the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

"Good morning, honey." my mom greeted.

"Morning." I said in a monotone voice. I placed two slices of bread in the toaster.

"Anything wrong?" my dad asked. I shook my head. My bread suddenly popped out of the toaster. I took them and spread some chocolate on top.

"Nothing's wrong, don't worry," I said, dashing out of the room. "I'll be leaving early today, bye!" I shut the door behind me, locking it as well. I still had about thirty five minutes until class, but I needed some time to think.

Who hates me enough to go this far? The rumors were really bad, too..

With the tears blinding my vision, I accidentally bumped into someone. I fell down with an "Oomph!" and wiped the tears that fell down my cheeks.

"Sorry about th- Xion?" I looked up to see Roxas with a worried look on his face. He held out a hand, but I didn't take it. I stood up on my own. "You're crying.." I shook my head.

"N-No! I'm not, I-I just..I..I gotta go!" I said. After taking my bento, I ran past him rapidly. If I was seen with him, maybe the person behind this would start a rumor about him, too. And I wouldn't want that.

Panting heavily, I finally reached the school grounds. There wasn't a lot of people there, thank goodness. Nonetheless, I still earned a few stares while passing the hallways. Oh, I just want to disappear.

I finally reached English class. Since no one was there yet, I decided to sit on one of the benches that were in front of the class. I watched a few students enter and pass through the hallways and soon enough, the whole corridor was packed. When Pence and Olette entered class, I stood up and walked in as well. They were both sitting in the back of the class, so I decided to sit up front. Olette and I had eye contact for about three seconds until she turned away.

I never paid attention to the teacher during this class, I'm already good in English. I decided to draw, badly if you must know, all five of us; me, Hayner, Pence, Olette and Vanitas. We were all holding hands, smiling. When I was done, I crumpled up the paper, disrupting the teacher's explanations in the process. Sorry, sensei.

During class, I turned around several times, checking if Pence or Olette were looking at me. Neither of them were, though. Stupid person who started the rumors. You just ruined my life. Thanks a lot.

English class finally reached to an end. I ran out of class immediately when the bell rang. Maybe avoiding them would be better. Or yet, if we were never friends.

I walked slowly to Art class and sat on another table, far away from Pence. I asked the teacher if I could start my sketch on the project she gave us last class and took my paper from last class. There was nothing on it exept for my name, so I took out my pencil and let my hand run across the paper. My chosen view was the sunset above the clock tower. I drew the small houses, the beautiful cherry blossom trees and so on. Inspiration filled my body, though my heart was empty and broken.

When I saw Pence enter the class, I saw a bunch of people stare and grimace at him. I hated the feeling of knowing I couldn't do anything about it. The bell finally rang and I was almost half done with my drawing.

"It's nice," someone said. I looked up to see..Namine? "Your drawing; it's nice." Not used to being complimented from someone in the 'popular' crowd, I just stared at her like an idiot.

I managed to say a quiet "Thank you." being continuing my drawing.

"Where is it from?" she asked.

"Uh, the..view from..m-my bedrrom window at, um, around seven o' clock." I lied. She smiled.

"It's really good. Usually, your drawings are really bad." she said, giggling. She left to her table and sat down. I'll..take that as a compliment. Coming from someone who draws really well, I guess it's a good thing.

When class ended, I gave my still unfinished drawing to my teacher and zzomed out of class, bumping into someone again.

"Wow, you sure bump into people a lot." Roxas.

"Uh, I know," I said. "I shouldn't be here. B-Bye," I ran off to my locker to grab my bento. I sat outside, under a cherry blossom tree. I ate my curry and rice slowly, thinking about my problem. Wouldn't avoiding them make it worse? What if we never make up? What if I'll be forever alone? What if we become enemies and they'll murder me in my sleep with a chainsaw, cut me into pieces and throw them all around the room and..Okay, maybe that was a little too exaggerated.

"Xion?" I snapped out of my thoughts and turned around to see Roxas's head popping out from behind the tree. "Are you okay..?" I packed my bento and started to run, until he garbbed my hand, pulling me back.

"Let me go," I demanded. He didn't listen.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong." he pulled me closer.

"Get your hands off of me, Roxas." I said quietly.

"Xion.." he whispered.

"I can't be seen with you, okay!" I yelled. "Haven't you heard about the rumors? If the person who started this saw you with me, you'll be involved in this, too! I don't want that to happen to you! So, _let go_!" I said. He released me and I ran, as far away from him as possible.

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><p>The clock finally striked four thirty. I walked home, taking the long way, since I wasn't planning on going to skateboarding lessons today. I might not even show up tomorrow at the movies. No one would want me there, anyway.<p>

I finally got to my house. I unlocked my door and stalked up the stairs, not even in the mood to greet my parents. I entered my messy room, throwing my backpack on the floor carelessly. I threw myself onto the bed, staring up at my purple ceiling, waiting for calls that never came.

If the rumors never started, I would be smiling right now, thinking about the dumb conversations at lunch my best friends and I usually have. Then, I would grab whatever I find in my closet and throw it on to for skateboarding lessons. Roxas would teach me a few new tricks and we would have ice cream while watching the sunset..

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><p><strong>ROXAS'S POV<strong>

"Where is she?" I said to no one in particular, checking my watch every few seconds. Five twenty one already.

Well, I guess she isn't coming, she _did_ look a little sad today. I jumped onto my skateboard and rolled to the market area of the town. I ordered a sea salt ice cream, of course.

"Your friend's not here today?" the woman asked, handing me my ice cream. I dropped the munny on the counter.

"Nope. Thanks." I rolled away slowly.

For some reason, the ice cream tasted saltier than usual..

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><p>Very plain, yes. But, in a few chapters, that's where the drama starts! Please review, they inspire me. :3<p> 


	6. Friends Again

Okay, I've already been too mean to Xion, so here's a lighter chapter. Thank you all so much for the reviews, faves and alerts! They made me really happy! :D Oh, and sorry for the mistakes.

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 6

Friends Again

"Bye mom, bye dad!" I yelled. I closed the door and unlocked it afterwards. My fake smile then turned into a frown; I never liked talking about school stuff to my parents. I always have to act like nothing's wrong..though I'm not very good at that.

Realizing that it was Friday, my heart filled with more sorrow. I've been waiting so long for this day and now, I don't even want to show my face. I missed them; Olette, Hayner, Pence, even Vanitas and his grumpy self.

I wiped the angry tears running down my face and tightened my fist.

I'll do everything it takes to stop these rumors. Today.

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><p>I turned right and finally entered my first period class. I had Hayner in this class, maybe if I could apologize to him first? No, but then Olette, Pence and Vanitas would feel inferior. I should just apologize at lunch, when we're all together. That way, everyone would feel equal, I think.<p>

I sat in the middle of the classroom and saw Hayner enter. I was so sure he was going to sit next to me, until he turned to sit next to some stranger. Now, I'm probably gonna end up sitting next to..

"Is this seat taken?" someone asked. I turned to my left to see who it was. It was..Namine?

"A-Are you t-t-talking to m-me?" I asked stupidly. I was expecting a nasty remark such as "Well, duh. Who else am I talking to?" then, she'll snort. But, instead, she giggled.

"Of course, Xion." she said.

"Oh, uh, n-no. It's not taken." I said. She smiled and sat down. Okay, this is weird. She never talked to me before. Now that I have no friends, maybe she's trying to trick me into joining her evil society. Or maybe I'm just overthinking this. Namine is nice, I guess. I never really talked to her because I always thought she was one of those snobby girls who think they're so pretty and superior than everyone else.

The teacher walked into class right when the bell rang. All we had to do was finish some pages in our book, then we could do whatever we wanted for the rest of the class.

When there was about thirty minutes left of class, I finally finished my work, along with other people, but not a lot. So, I took out another paper and drew a monster eating the person who started the rumors. The person deserved to be eaten. Omnomnom.

"Hey, are you okay?" Namine asked me. I nodded my head, even if I wasn't.

In just a short amount of time, class finally reached to an end. I walked out of the class, bumping into someone..again. man, I seriously have to watch where I'm going. Naturally, I fell on the floor, only to see Vanitas looking down on me.

"Vanitas! I-I.." I stuttered. He sighed, then walked away awkwardly. I watched as Hayner ran to his side, telling him a few things. Probably about me.

"Oh, stand up, you'll get hurt." a high voice said. I then felt someone grab hold of my arm and helped me up.

"Thank..you.." I said. Realizing it was Namine, I awkwardly stuttered "B-B-Bye.." and left for my locker. I took out my Japanese books and walked to my class.

Okay, I really have to apologize before this day ends. I really want them back, I really do. I hope I have the courage to do it..

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><p>The end of the day.<p>

It was here and I wasn't even able to face them the whole time.

There were still a bunch of people in the hallway; some talking in their groups, some waiting for their friends and more. When I rounded the corner, into an empty part of the school, I saw the three again. Yuna, Rikku and Paine, I think.

"Wait, what did you say, Rikku?" Paine asked.

"I said, Vanitas murdered another student. I heard he was in a project with a girl and they ended up sleeping together, then.." I have to stand up for them. I can't just let these rumors go on forever. I can't.

"Shut up!" I yelled so loud that I wouldn't be surprised if the whole school heard me. "Just stop spreading rumors about my friends!" Suddenly, the brunette, Yuna, approached me.

"What do you mean? You started it. All of this is your fault." she said.

"My fault? You should know that I would _never_ spread rumors about my friends. They mean the world to me.." I said quietly. "And because of you three..I've lost them.."

"Oh, please." she rolled her eyes as the two other girls laughed. "That slut, that playboy and those two-" I slapped her across the face with all my strength before she was able to finish that sentence. No one talks about my friends that way. No one.

Yuna fell over and her two followers rushed by her side. The brunette touched her red cheek.

"Oh, is that how you wanna play?" she said, standing up. With so much force, she sent me a punch in the gut. I fell over, holding my stomach as I winced in pain. "What's wrong? Can't take it anymore?" she laughed. She raised her leg backwards and glared at me darkly. Knowing she was going to kick me, I closed my eyes, waiting for the excrutiating pain that would finish me off.

However, the pain never came. I suddenly felt two arms wrap around my upper body. I opened up my blue eyes to see Olette and Pence by my side. Vanitas blocked the kick while Hayner stood protectively in front of me. I saw Yuna gasp and stumble backwards, while Rikku and Paine ran forward in order to catch her.

"Wh-What was that for?" she yelled.

"Beat it." Vanitas said with pure hatred in his voice.

"You're standing up for her? Even if she spread all those rumors about you?" she scoffed. All Vanitas did was glare.

"It wasn't Xion!" Olette yelled in confidence. "She said so before; she would never spread rumors about us."

"And I hate myself for even thinking it was her." Hayner said as Pence nodded.

"There. Problem solved. Now, _beat it_." Vanitas repeated. Yuna was about to protest, until the raven-haired boy spoke once more. "Hey, you've heard about the rumors, right? What if the murdering part of my rumor was real? What if I murdered you three _right now_?" he laughed darkly. To be honest, he actually kind of scared me.

Yuna's face became pale, as well as Rikku's and Paine's. Well, Paine's was a little less. Without another retort, the three turned their backs on us.

"Fine. Whatever." she muttered. The three girls left, though I still clutched my stomach. When Rikku, Paine and Yuna disappeared in the hallway, a long, awkward silence travelled all around the five of us.

"Xion.." they all said at the same time. Normally, we'd laugh at something like this, but this situation was serious. We were finally going to make up. When the pain from my stomach faded, Olette and Pence helped me stand on my feet.

"I'm sorry for everything.." Olette whispered as she hugged me tight. Pence apologized and wrapped his arms around me as well. Hayner mumbled a "Sorry, Xion.." and hesitated before hugging. Only Vanitas was left standing.

"Vanitas, come hug Xion. Just this once," Olette insisted. Vanitas kept a bored expression on, but he whispered a "Sorry.." and I could've sworn he blushed out of embarassment. We all stayed like this for a long time before laughing and smiling at each other when we let go.

"You're still coming to the movies, right Xion?" Hayner asked. I nodded happily.

I finally got them back..

* * *

><p>We were all walking to my house now since everyone, except for me, had their everyday clothes already. When we arrived, the boys changed in the guest room, Olette changed in the washroom and I changed in my room. I threw on a violet t-shirt and jean capris and I tied my short hair in a high ponytail. When I threw my uniform in the laundry basket, I opened the door to meet up with my firneds in the entrance.<p>

"_BOO_!" I screamed so loud that the neighbours probably heard me. I clutched my heart, blushing out of embarassment when I found out that Hayner scared me. He, along with everyone else, burst out laughing. Soon enough, I laughed as well.

All of us walked downstairs, talking naturally as if nothing happened between us. I locked the door once we got outside and we crossed the street to get to the movies. Once there, the only thing Vanitas, Pence and I did was watch the couple before us argue on which movie to watch.

"I don't wanna watch that! There's nothing interesting about that movie! I say we watch that one!" Hayner argued, pointing at some horror movie. Olette didn't seem to agree.

"You _know_ I hate scary movies! And what's so bad about that movie?" she pointed to a movie, filled with romance, tragedy and of course, adventure.

"It sounds stupid. And looks stupid. So, in conclusion, it's stupid." he retorted. Olette sweatdropped. "Just this once, Olette! Please?"

"Come on, the movie's gonna start any second!" Pence whined.

"Yeah, Olette. I promise you, it's not scary." Hayner sincerely said. Olette sighed.

"Fine." she said as Hayner cheered.

"Thank you! Oh, and if you need to cling onto someone during the movie, I'll be right there." he teased as she punched his arm, blushing.

"Quit flirting with each other already, let's go." Vanitas said, smirking. I giggled. Without another word, each of us payed our ticket.

"Oi, I'll go buy some popcorn and drinks. You guys go in without me. Wave when you see me," I said as they nodded. I walked over to the counter and asked for two large tubs of popcorn, five small sodas and a few bags of candy. When I finished paying, I regretted not asking someone to come help me with the stuff.

"Hey, need help with that?" I turned around and smiled.

"Roxas.." I said. "I-I'm sorry for not showing up yesterday. And today."

"Don't worry about it. Oh, there will be no lessons on Fridays, by the way." I nodded. I took a tub of popcorn, two drinks and two bags of candy while Roxas offered to carry the rest. Both of us entered the theatre and I saw Pence waving at us. Roxas and I handed the items to the group.

"Hey, Roxas. Here to watch the movie, too?" Hayner asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"Nope, the movie I'm catching is right next door. Wouldn't wanna be late, see ya." he left. Olette, who was beside me, elbowed my arm.

"Your face is red." she teased.

"Like yours when you're with Hayner?" I smirked as Olette blushed. Suddenly, the place became dark and the new movie trailers popped up on the huge screen. Hayner would yell out a "Let's go see that one next time!" during every horror or action movie, earning a few glares from the people in front of us. I've watched tons of scary movies with Vanitas, but this one must be the scariest movie I've ever watched. I even had to squeeze Vanitas's arm.

By the end of the movie, we all exited. Olette and I had blank expressions, Pence's left eye was twitching, Hayner had a huge grin on his face and Vanitas had bored expression on.

"I can't believe..you guys..made me watch that." Olette said darkly. Without a warning, she punched Hayner with all her might. "You- You jerk! You said it wasn't scary!" I swear, I could see fire in her eyes.

"Well, it wasn't scary to m-me.." he chuckled nervously.

"We're never bringing the girls to watch horror movies again. Ever." Vanitas pulled up his sleeve. "Look what Xion did to me!" On his arm were red fingernail marks.

"Oops. Sorry about that, Vani." I laughed, followed by everyone except Vanitas.

"Oh, yeah. You guys coming to the Struggle Tournament tomorrow?" Pence asked.

"All of you better come! I want you guys to see me beat Seifer up!" Hayner said, making a victory pose. Struggle Tournament? Oh, that reminds me of my promise with Roxas. "Oh, and do you guys wanna come over? We can play video games!" we all nodded in agreement and headed towards the exit. Before leaving, I saw Roxas come out of theatre number three. He then spotted me.

He mouthed the words, "Struggle Tournament?" and a small smile spread across his face.

I nodded and mouthed, "Promise."

"Hey, Xion, hurry up!" Olette yelled. I waved bye to the blonde and ran up to my best friend. "Who were you talking to?"

"Huh? Oh, no one." I smiled.

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><p>Aww, they're friends again! Aren't you happy that I didn't make her suffer this time? Ohohoho. By the way, in just a few chapters, the drama starts! I won't say anything, wouldn't wanna ruin the surprise! Please review! (I would really love to reach a hundred reviews by the end of the story..) :)<p> 


	7. Struggle Tournament

I'm back with another chapter~ The Struggle Tournament. Who will win? Who will lose? Your questions will be answered! I was supposed to update yesterday, but I had to take my brother and sister to the movies. We watched Winnie the Pooh..I won't lie, it was adorable. xD And it reminded me of KH. :3 I'll shut up now. Once again, thank you so much for the reviews, faves and alerts! They made me extremely happy! :D

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 7

Struggle Tournament

I woke up, not from the sound of my alarm clock, but my cellphone. I groaned, shoving my head under my fluffy pillow. It stopped ringing, then after five seconds, it rang again. I picked it up and pressed the talk button without checking the ID.

"Hello..?" I yawned. No one answered. Is this a prank call? "_Hello_?" I yelled, annoyed.

"XION!" a cheery voice asked.

"Olette?" I asked, then yawned once more.

"Where the heck are you? We're at the Sandlot, the Struggle's gonna start any second!" she said. I reached for my clock. Eleven forty two..Woah, did I actually sleep that late?

"Oh, um, I-I'll be right there!" I pressed the 'End Call' button and scrambled out of bed. I grabbed a dark green shirt and beige-ish capris, then ran into the washroom. Once I did everything I needed to do, I examined myself in the mirror. I looked a little bit like Yuffie, a senior who is really cheerful and nice. I shrugged; it didn't really matter anyway. I slid down the stair rail and ate some left-over pizza from last night. I threw on my shoes and rushed out of the house. I ran to the Sandlot and luckily, the tournament hadn't started started yet.

"There you are." the person said, then poked my head. I turned around to see Vanitas with his typical bored expression. I could see Hayner, Pence and Olette a few feet behind him. "I was so sure you forgot." I smiled sheepishly.

"Slept in again." he rolled his eyes, messing up my hair. When Pence spotted us, Vanitas and I walked over to them.

"Don't worry, you could beat him, I just know it!" Olette cheered as Hayner continued jogging in place, punching the air and more.

"Hayner wants Olette to scream encouraging words at him to boost his confidence." Pence explained. I sweatdropped.

"Oh-kay. Hey, when's it gonna start?" I asked. Vanitas checked his watch.

"..Now." As if on cue, the announcer made his way to the middle of the lot with a microphone in his hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to this year's Struggle Torunament!" he yelled as everyone cheered. "Who will win and bring home the grand prize? Will it be Seifer, last year's Struggle champion? Vivi, Seifer's fellow companion? Maybe Setzer, the silver-haired fighter? Hayner, the competetive underdog? Or perhaps Roxas, this year's new struggler?" You'll all see by the end of the tournament!" After a few encouraging words to Hayner, he made his way to the board.

The man explained the rules and the order of the matches. When he was finished, Roxas and Vivi made their way to the lot and Hayner returned. He had an evil smile on.

"Guess who's battling Seifer?" he asked.

"..Setzer?" Pence asked. Hayner, Vanitas, Olette and I facepalmed.

"No. Me!" he grinned, pointing a finger to his face. "I'm so gonna win! He's _so_ done for!" he cackled evilly. (A/N : You know, the "MWAHAHAHAHAAAA!" laugh.) Olette pounded his head in the middle of his laugh.

"Okay, geez. Don't get too cocky already," she said.

"Our first match for today is between Roxas and Vivi!" the announcer said. I looked up at Roxas, who was holding his Struggle bat firmly. When he turned his head to my direction, he shot me a smile. I smiled back.

Then, a man walked up to the two and said something like, "Good luck, you two." I wasn't able to hear very well due to the loud cheers and screams. Afterwards, he gave them each one hundred orbs and left.

"Ready! Set! Struggle!" the man yelled, along with the crowd.

Vivi dove forward to hit the blonde, though Roxas dodged the attack by jumping backwards. Vivi sent many more attacks, with Roxas dodging each one of them. When Seifer's companion ran out of breath, Roxas took this to his advantage by making a swift combo attack. Vivi dropped about fifteen orbs, in which Roxas snatched from the ground. However, while Roxas was busy picking up the orbs, Vivi flipped in mid-air, about to hit him.

"Roxas! Above you!" I yelled to the blonde-haired boy. From the corner of my eye, I could see Olette smirking.

Said blonde turned around, except he wasn't fast enough to dodge it. He fell to the ground while Vivi picked up the fallen orbs. With twenty five seconds left, Roxas immediately got to his feet and ran towards Vivi. His attack was so powerful that Vivi dropped about thirty orbs. Quickly snatching them, with eight more seconds on the clock, Roxas made a final attack, causing twenty orbs to fall. He grabbed them all while Vivi layed on the ground.

"Time's..up!" the man walked over to Roxas and raised his right arm. "We have a winner! Roxas! He put up a great fight, especially with that finishing strike! Better luck next time, Vivi!" the crowd cheered.

"Yes, now it's my turn!" Hayner exclaimed.

"Good luck!" Olette smiled.

When Roxas and Vivi left, Hayner and Seifer jumped onto the lot and faced each other.

"Try not to cry when you lose, chicken wuss." Seifer smirked.

"After this match, you'll be the one crying home to mommy." Not the best comeback, but it was good enough to keep Seifer from saying anything else.

"Now, the second match of the day! Hayner versus Seifer!" Once the orbs were handed out, Hayner waved his struggle bat around while Seifer just stood in place. "Ready! Set! Struggle!"

Hayner made the first attack, causing Seifer to drop one, two..eight red orbs. Angry, Seifer made a combo, this time making Hayner drop about ten orbs. The blonde fell, though quickly got to his feet to retrieve his fallen orbs. He was able to get four back. But then, Seifer made a powerful attack and we all watched in shock as Hayner fell to the ground, dropping many orbs. He tried lifting himself up, but failed at the first try.

"Come on, Hayner! You can do it! You practiced so hard this week!" Olette yelled.

"Hayner, get up! You can kick Seifer's butt, I just know it!" Pence yelled.

With a sudden burst of energy, Hayner jumped up and sprinted towards Seifer. He tightened his grip on his struggle bat and attacked Seifer several times. Seifer fell backwards, along with thirty orbs, possibly more. Our friend picked up every orb while Seifer was still struggling to get on his feet.

"Seifer, you can't let that loser beat you, y'know?" Rai yelled as Fuu shook her head.

There were twelve seconds left, but Seifer still had eighteen more orbs than Hayner. With one final hit, Hayner made Seifer drop approximately twenty three orbs, thus making Hayner the winner.

"The winner is..Hayner! He was the first to go last year, but now, he's in the top three! Such amazing improvement! Sorry Seifer, guess you're not number one anymore!" Hayner made a sudden victory pose as the crowd cheered, Olette, Pence and I being the loudest. Hayner walked over to Seifer, grinning.

"Better luck next year, chicken wuss!" Hayner yelled. Seifer scowled and left with Rai, Fuu and Vivi. With a huge smile on his face, the blonde walked over to us.

"Look who finally beat Seifer." Vanitas said.

"You were great, Hayner!" Olette smiled.

"Thanks!"

"Now, for the third struggle of the day; Roxas and Setzer!" The orbs were handed out and the two boys waited for the man to say "Struggle!".

"May the best struggler win." I heard Roxas say, holding his hand out.

"That would be me." Setzer said. Roxas lowered his hand.

"Ready! Set! Struggle!"

Immediately, Setzer made the first move. Like with Vivi, Roxas dodged every attack and swung his struggle bat. Blue orbs bounced around the lot and Roxas rapidly picked them up. Then, Setzer made this attack in mid-air and hit Roxas. Roxas quickly retrieved his red orbs, only allowing Setzer to snatch one of his orbs. With another special attack by Setzer, Roxas stumbled backwards, dropping a few orbs. Setzer picked them up before Roxas was able to. The silver-haired man sent several attacks, though missed Roxas many times. He eventually got tired, allowing Roxas to send his own combos and such. With five more seconds on the clock, it was impossible for Setzer to retrieve his stolen orbs. Once again, Roxas had won.

"Woah! You're on fire, Roxas! Another breath-taking battle and another win for the new struggler!" the crowd cheered.

"He's good. Think you can win?" Vanitas asked Hayner.

"Of course I can! Just watch!" Hayner said. "He's probably still tired from this match, I could beat him with my eyes closed."

"Now, it's the battle we've all been waiting for! The two champions from today's battles; Roxas and Hayner!" Once the orbs were distributed, the man who said "Good luck, you two." to Roxas and Vivi patted both their shoulders.

"Keep it clean, boys." he said before leaving.

"Ready! Set! Struggle!"

Hayner nor Roxas took the first attack. After watching Roxas's previous fight, Hayner knew exactly what he was going to do. Hayner pretended to send an attack, making Roxas automatically jumped backwards. Hayner did it once more, making Roxas jump again, but while he was in mid-air, Hayner hit his stomach. Blue orbs fell as my guy-best-friend picked each one of them up. Roxas clutched his stomach, but this only gave him more determination. He let go of his stomach and sent a series of attacks and a finishing combo. Hayner dropped around thirty five orbs, scowling.

"Go Hayner! It doesn't matter! You can get them back!" Olette yelled.

After hearing those encouraging words from Olette, Hayner ran towards his opponent. He raised his bat up in the air and swung with all his might. However, he gasped when Roxas dodge rolled out of the way. When the clever blonde (Roxas) was behind Hayner, he made his famous finishing attack and Hayner fell in defeat.

"With three epic wins in a row, this year's Struggle champion is..Roxas!" After the many cheers and screams from the crowd, Hayner approached him and held his hand out.

"I guess I haven't practiced enough." he shrugged. "Good job, man." Roxas gladly shook it.

"Thanks." When they let go, a Struggle trophy was handed to him. It was a dark blue, abstract trophy which held four colored crystals; blue, red, green and yellow.

He spotted me and I smiled, giving him a thumbs up. He smiled back.

* * *

><p>"Crap! I lost..again! I'll <em>never<em> get the trophy!" Hayner whined for the past hour.

"Can you shut up?" Vanitas said, massaging his temples. "You're giving me a headache!"

"It's okay, Hayner. There's always next year." Pence said.

"At least you gave it your best, right?" I added. He sighed.

"Yeah. I guess you're right." he frowned.

"Oh, what time is it?" I asked out of the blue. Vanitas lifted up his sleeve.

"Uh, four fifty one." he said.

"Skateboarding lessons?" Olette asked. I nodded.

"Bye, guys!" I said and ran off to the direction of my house. Why didn't I bring my skateboard with me? I'm so stupid! When my house was in sight, I sprinted to the door and unlocked it. I took my skateboard and closed the door behind me, locking it. I ran to the Plaza and saw Roxas sitting on his skateboard, examining the Struggle trophy. I walked up to him.

"Hey," I said. "You were great today." He stood up, still holding the trophy.

"Really? O-Oh, uh, thanks." he said.

"So, what will you be teaching me today?" I asked.

"I'm kinda tired, so is it okay if I teach you an easy one?" I nodded. "Okay, I'll teach you how to Method Grab, which is done in the air, and Heel Flip, which is done on the ground.."

Skateboarding lessons were cut short today since I wanted Roxas to rest. He seemed pretty tired from the tournament. I went to buy our ice cream and remembered about my 'WINNER' stick. I reached into my pocket to check if it was there. It..wasn't! Where did I..? Oh, crap, I left it on my night stand. I mentally slapped myself.

"No, I'll buy them." Roxas protested.

"No, _I_ will. You're already really tired, _I'll_ buy the ice cream!" I ran off to the ice cream stand. The woman at the counter already held out two sea salt ice creams.

"Here you go, they're the two last ones, so they're on the house!" she smiled.

"Really? Oh, thank you very much!" I said, but I still dropped a few munny in a can that read 'Tips'. I walked back to Roxas and gave him one of the blue bars. He thanked me and we both walked up the stairs to get to the top of the clock tower. We both sat on the edge when we finally made it.

"Hey, Xion? What's your favorite color?" he asked.

"What's with the random question?" I asked. "And it's purple."

"..Uh, what's your favorite color between blue, red, yellow and green?"

"Blue." Because it's the color of your eyes. He then took his trophy and without hesitation, pulled the blue crystal off.

"Here, I want you to keep it." he threw the blue crystal at me, which I caught.

"But.."

"No, really. It's to remember me if we ever get seperated." I smiled at him and held the crystal before me. It shone brightly when I held it in front of the setting sun.

"Thank you, Roxas.."

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><p>Thank you for reading! :) I don't know about you guys, but I loved the ending of the chapter. Teehee. Please review!<p> 


	8. Talks

Chapter eight is here! Oh, I might update late sometimes because I'm working on another story. It's a SquallxYuffie fic (multi-chapter). Yes, I love that pairing, too. :D And you guys don't know how happy I am from the number of reviews, faves and alerts! Thank you so so so so much! ^^

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 8

Talks

"Are you guys really gonna play video games all day?" Olette asked me, Hayner, Pence and Vanitas, whose eyes were glued to the screen.

"Yes." the boys and I said at the same time. Olette sighed.

"Hey, we don't have school today, it's the only thing there is to do." Hayner shrugged. "Ha! Die Vani-" Vanitas then used a Phoenix Down to revive himself. "-tas."

"Loser. And just so you know, I still have three left while you have.." he just killed Hayner. "None." Cursing, the blonde threw the controler on the floor.

"Don't you wanna play, Olette? You could take my place after." Pence asked. Olette shook her head.

"No thanks, Pence." she said.

"You know, Olette," I said, sending Vanitas an attack. "You could go shopping if you're so bored." Olette's face goes from bored to oh-my-gosh-why-didn't-I-think-of-it-before!

"Good idea!" she said, standing up. She ran to the door, but turned around slightly. "So, who's coming with me?"

"Hayner will." I said automatically. I do _not_ want to go shopping.

"What? Why me?" he whined. "Pence, you go."

"No, Vanitas!" Olette crossed her arms over her chest.

"Actually, the best person to go with Olette is Xion." Vanitas said.

"Hey! Why me out of all of you?" I yelled.

"Because," he answered calmly. "You're both girls."

"That's the stupidest reason I have ever heard." I made a combo and attacked Vanitas, who died, though he revived himself.

"Come on, Xion. It won't take too long." Olette pleaded.

"Fine." I said, standing up. Hayner immediately dove to get my controler. Turning around to walk over to Olette, I stepped on something. An evil smile formed at my lips when I saw the game console plug at my feet. I 'tripped' over it, causing the screen to turned black. The three boys dramatically yelled "Noooooo!" before turning around to see who the culprit was.

"Xion! Why the heck did you do that?" Hayner yelled angrily.

"Yeah, what's your problem?" Vanitas said, glaring.

"Accidents happen." I smiled evilly before walking out of the room with a giggling Olette. "So, off to the mall. Yay."

"Hey, shopping isn't so bad."

"Yes, it is." Olette sighed.

"We could eat first, then."

"Thank you!"

We walked out of Vanitas's house and walked down the street to get to the mall. Vanitas is so lucky; he's close to everything. Minutes passed by rather quickly as we found ourselves already at the entrance of the mall. We entered the huge shopping center and walked over to the escalator. We were too lazy to walk up those flight of stairs. The food court was finally in view and Olette and I walked over to our favorite..food-place?

"Hi, I'll have the chicken yakisoba, please." Olette said, pulling out her orange wallet.

"Anything to drink?" he asked. She shook her head. He told her the total and the brunette gave the cashier a few bills. He played with the cash register and gave her the change. Olette moved out of the way for me to order.

"I'll have the fish cake ramen with watermelon bubble tea, please." I said, holding up the exact amount of munny needed. I eat here all the time, I knew the exact price by heart.

"Oh, um, we're out of watermelon bubble tea." the man said.

"Oh, then mango, please. Second best." I shrugged.

"Tapioca?"

"As usual." I gave him the munny and waited next to Olette. Our food were finally finished. Happily, we took it and walked over to a table. We both took a bite of our food, then sighed in satisfaction. It tasted really good!

"So, how's skateboarding lessons?" Olette asked out of the blue.

"Pretty good. I'm still learning the simple things, though. I keep falling." I stuck a bunch of noodles in my mouth.

"Knowing how clumsy you are, it's a miracle how you could actually balance yourself on a board." she giggled as I frowned.

"Yeah, yeah. So, did you already tell Hayner you liked him?" the brunette blushed.

"W-What? How'd you.."

"Come on, the whole world knows it..except for Hayner. He's just that dense." I'm not lying, Hayner's really clueless. Besides Sora, that is.

"Okay, fine. I _do_ like him.." she blushed deeper. "It's just..Hayner and I, along with you guys, have been friends forever. He would always find a way to make me smile and I could talk to him about anything. Pence and Vanitas are only like brothers to me and you're like a sister. Hayner's just..something more." Woah, that sounds like a passage from a romance novel, especially with that "best friends become more than friends" kinda thing.

"I say you should go for it. I'm positive he likes you, too."

"How are you sure?"

"This might sound really cheesy, but..the way he looks at you." I started. "It's like it's only you two in the whole world." she smiled.

"I'll tell him someday. Not now. I'm not ready yet."

After she said that, we both stuffed our faces in our food. Neither of us spoke and the only things heard were the munching of our food. Olette suddenly spoke up.

"Oh, I've been wanting to ask," she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Do you like Roxas?" I choked on my food, coughing numerous times. Olette stood up, about to give me the heimlich maneuver, until I raised both my arms gesturing "No, it's okay."

"Woah, don't scare me like that!" she said, sitting down again.

"Well, don't just throw a question like _that_ at me!" I coughed once more.

"Hehe, sorry."

"What makes you think I like him?" I asked, trying to hide the blush on my face.

"I don't know. Just a feeling." she giggled. "Come on, do you?"

"..No."

"Maybe just a little..?" I shook my head. Honestly, Roxas is pretty cool. But, he's just a friend.

"Not at all."

"Hey, but you know..when he finds someone he loves, maybe you'll finally realize that.." No. Olette Hirasawa, don't even finish that sentence. "Nevermind."

"Olette," I sighed. "We're only friends. That's all we'll ever be."

"I'm just saying. You never know, you guys might end up being more than friends one day!" she squealed like some fangirl.

After many annoying and stupid conversations, Olette and I finally finished our food. Without another second to rest, she took my hand and pulled me out of my seat.

"Come on! Let's go to _that_ store!" she grinned, dragging me into a store that sold the usual summer clothes; tank tops, shorts, nothing that interests me.

"Hey, Xion, try this on!" Olette held up a lilac-colored sun dress. The color was nice, yes, but it's so short, it looked like a shirt. I twitched, then ran out of the store.

This was going to be a long day.

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><p><strong>ROXAS'S POV<strong>

"Oh, my freaking.." I twitched after seeing what Demyx and Axel did to my bedroom. My new laptop was drenched in water, which means it's no longer effective. One side of my bed was soaked, while the end of the other half was black; burnt. My clothes were scattered everywhere and my stuff (video games, posters, etc.) were either broken, ripped or missing. "Axel is hot and sexy! Dance, water, dance! Demyx was here!" was spray-painted in red on the dark blue walls. At least my game consoles and my skateboard survived.

"Hey, Roxas. You're looking..lively." Demyx said nervously. "Axel started it!" Demyx pointed a finger at Axel accusingly. The redhead smacked Demyx on the head.

"What're you talking about? You threw water on my face!" he yelled.

"Well, you didn't have to bring out your lighter! You almost burnt the house down!"

"And you didn't need to spill water everywhere. The laptop literally exploded!" They both started arguing on whose fault it was, but stopped when I slammed my hand on my study desk; another thing that seemed to survive through all this. I glared at them, a dark aura surrounding my body. I left them alone for ten minutes, no more, no less. And look what they did.

"Get. Out." I said. Demyx ran out of the room immediately while Axel ruffled my hair when he walked out of my room. "You guys owe me at least 500 munny. _Each_." I yelled, hearing two groans in the hallway. When I heard the entrance door shut, I sighed heavily. Namine was coming over. She wanted to listen to my new CD's and maybe catch a movie later on. No, it's not a date. I mean, she's my friend and all, but I can't think of her as anything more.

The doorbell suddenly rang. I cringed. Well, the radio in the living room works, so it's safer to listen to the CD's there. My radio will explode if we do it in my room. Not to mention, the mess Axel and Demyx made. Wow, why am I even friends with them?

I walked to the door and opened it up. Namine stood there, smiling.

"Good evening, Roxas!" she said cheerily. In my opinion, she dressed a little too formal just to watch a movie and listen to music. One side of her blonde hair was draped over her shoulder, like always. She wore a short-sleeved, white button-up shirt, in which the v-neck collar was ruffled. (A/N : Please forgive me. I have no idea how to explain those kinds of shirts.) Her mini-skirt was black and ruffled as well and she wore her usual pale blue sandals.

"Hey. Uh, come on in." I said. She entered my house and I closed the door behind her.

"So, which movie do you wanna watch after we listened to the CD's?" she asked me as I lead her to the living room.

"Oh, I don't mind." I said, plopping on the couch.

"What about that new romance movie? 'Destinies Intertwined', I think." she beamed.

"Uh.."

"But, I guess it's too girly for you, right?" I scratched the back of my head.

"Yeah. But, it's okay." The only reason I agreed was to be nice. Now, I have to survive through a predictable and cliché movie. Great.

"Thank you, Roxas!" she smiled, sitting next to me. She gave me a CD and we both listened to the first song. It was really sad, yet relaxing. Song after song, we talked about the old times; when we met in middle school, the people we used to know and such. When the CD was finished, I stood up to take it out so that I could put one of my favorites. Once I put an Utada Hikaru CD, I returned the previous disk to Namine before throwing myself on the couch.

"I knew you'd put this CD." she smirked.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with it." I grinned.

We still talked about the old times, which eventually turned into the present. We talked about our classes, teachers, plans for summer vacation and of course, new friends.

"You know Xion Uchida, right Roxas?" Namine asked me. I nodded.

"Yeah, she's my friend, I guess. I teach her how to skateboard. Why?"

"Oh. What do you think of her?" How did we switch from classes, to Xion?

"Well, I haven't known her for long. It's only been two weeks, maybe?"

"But, what do you think of her, so far?" I placed my fingers on my chin, thinking.

"Xion..is a really sweet person, but only when she wants to be. She gets annoyed and upset easily, but she always tries to find a way to make everyone happy, even if she won't be. That's something I really admire about her. She's a tomboy, not that it's a bad thing, and she's really clumsy. She's honest, so I believe everything she says, even if she can be a little too direct sometimes; like the time when she said I was a show-off." I chuckled. "She doesn't really care about what people think about her and.." I smiled. "Even if I didn't know her for long, I like spending time with h-" I stopped talking when I remembered that Namine was still here. My whole face became red and I turned away from the blonde-haired girl.

"You know a lot about her.." Namine said. I chuckled.

"Uh, y-yeah. Sorry about that, I kinda got too carried away.." I dug my face into a pillow. "A-Anyways, the movie's about to start! We should go now!" I dashed out of the room.

When I turned around, I saw Namine walk slowly towards me. She was frowning.

"Are you okay, Namine?" I asked worriedly. She suddenly looks up and smiled brightly. However, I wasn't convinced.

"Of course I am, Roxas! Come on, we wouldn't wanna miss the movie, right?" I nodded.

We exited my house and walked towards the direction of the movie theatre. I was sure Namine was hiding something from me, but I shrugged it off. It wasn't any of my business, right..?

* * *

><p><strong>XION'S POV<strong>

"Hey, you're getting better!" Roxas clapped as I did my very first successful Heel Flip.

"Really? Thanks!" Since I still fall when I jump in midair, he showed me how to jump properly so that I would be able to do a Method Grab. However, I still fell after many tries. "Will you teach me how to do a three-sixty degrees flip?"

"I'll teach you when you master all the tricks I'm gonna teach you." I smiled. "Because that's pretty hard to learn.."

"Okay, then. So, lessons are over?" he nodded.

"Meet me at the top," he pointed to the top of the clock tower. "I'll go get the ice cream." I nodded and made my way up the stairs. Today was a really annoying day, sea salt ice cream is the only thing that could cheer me up. I sat at the edge of the tower and watched the sunset before me.

"Here you go." a voice behind me said. I turned around to take my ice cream from Roxas.

"Thank you." he nodded and sat next to me.

"It's weird seeing you in those kinds of clothes." he chuckled. I twitched. Right, I forgot to mention, Olette forced me to wear the clothes she bought for me at the mall. She made me wear a dark pink tank top, much to my dismay, and jean shorts. At least she let me wear my Converse. Olette's a tomboy, but she could be really girly sometimes.

"My friend forced me to.." I growled. "I hate wearing these kinds of crap."

"And it doesn't look that good on you." I glared. "Hey, you know I'm kidding."

"Yeah, yeah. Well, I can't help it that I'm different from the other girls at school." I huffed. "But, sometimes..I wish I was more like them." I looked down, frowning.

"No," Roxas said. I turned my head to meet his eyes. "Don't say that.." he sighed, turning away.

There was a moment of silence between us. I wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.

"Xion.." Roxas whispered, though it was loud enough for me to hear perfectly. "Promise me one thing.."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Don't ever change." he said, his sapphire eyes meeting mine once more. I smiled.

"Promise."

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><p>I personally liked Roxas's daysection more than Xion's..xD It was fun-er to write and there were more hints of RokuShi! Oh, the next few chapters are gonna have more romance, drama and hurt/comfort. So, please keep reading!

Review button says "Click me!" :)


	9. Namine

I might not update very often afterwards since I might be going to Toronto for a week, maybe more. D: ..Ugh, I was supposed to go to the Philippines (family there) this summer, but noooo. :/ Oh, well. Enjoy this chapter and thank you so much for the reviews! Still can't think of a new title. Arrrrgh.

I don't own the songs mentioned below.

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 9

Namine

I woke to the sound of my alarm clock blaring continuously on my side table. With my head still under my pillow, only my arm emerged from the covers to press the off button. My arm still searched for the alarm clock. Where the heck is it? I reached farther and farther..until I fell off my bed. Ugh. I stood up and punched the off button in frustration. I was having such a good dream..

I didn't feel like fixing my bed, so I just threw my warm blanket on it carelessly. I did my morning routine and slid down the stair rail, almost falling off. Once I reached the bottom, I walked over to the kitchen and sat in my usual spot by the window.

"Morning," I said. I took out the peanut butter from the cabinet and popped two slices of bread in the toaster. Before sitting back down, I walked over to the calendar. Yes! Five more weeks until school ends!

"Good morning!" mom and dad said in unison from the living room.

Right when I finished eating two slices of bread with peanut butter, the doorbell rang. I grabbed my heavy backpack and dashed to the entrance. The doorbell rang again, so I opened the white door to reveal a happy-looking brunette.

"Hiya, Xion." she said. I greeted her back and stepped outside, closing the door behind me. "So, did Roxas like the pink top and the shorts last week?"

"Don't bring that up," I said, then blushed when I remembered what he said. _Don't ever change._

"You're pink!" Olette teased. "Oh! I get it! You guys are a secret couple! I knew you were hiding something from me."

"What? Don't just assume stuff like that, geez!"

"You know I'm kidding," she giggled. "But, I actually believe that deep down you like him." I rolled my eyes as Olette went on and on about Roxas and I.

Twilight High was finally in sight. Olette and I walked in the building. At the end of the hall, we waited in front of Music class for Vanitas, Hayner and Pence. I suddenly felt someone tap my shoulder, so I turned around slightly to see a smiling Namine.

"Good morning, Xion!" Namine cheerfully greeted.

"Uh, good..morning." I said awkwardly. After I said that, she turned around to enter class.

"That's weird. Usually, she just ignores you." Olette said. "Oh, are you ready to sing today?"

WHAT?

"S-Sing? What do you mean?" I asked, mortified. "I-It's today! Roxas and I didn't even-"

"Xion!" Roxas rushed towards Olette and I. "We..have to sing..today!" he said through breaths. The teacher gave us three weeks, I completely forgot about it!

"I know! B-But, I don't w-want to, I-I don't think I can do it!" I said. I've had stage fright ever since I was a little girl. There's no way I could do this.

"Don't worry, I know the lyrics and so do you, right?" I nodded.

"Uh, I'm not really needed here, so I'm gonna leave. Bye!" Olette ran off to the guys who recently walked into class.

"Anyways, I guess we could sing the choruses together. You could sing the first verse since it's pretty short and I could take the second."

"Are you sure?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, it doesn't matter, really. I'm fine with singing in front of the class."

"Crap! But, the CD?"

"Don't worry, I have the instrumental version on my iPod." he tossed the iPod in the air, then catched it to put it back in his pocket.

I noticed Pence gesture me to come over, so the two of us entered class. I sat with my group and Roxas sat with his.

"Hey, Vani? What're you and Sora singing?" I asked, receiving a glare from him.

"..Hikari by Utada Hikaru." (A/N : Simple and Clean, if you didn't know. And Passion is Sanctuary. I've had a few questions about this.) There was an awkward silence, until each of us, except Vanitas, burst out laughing.

"Are you serious?" Olette asked, laughing even more. Vanitas glared.

"Whatever. What are you and Kairi singing, Pence?"

"She forced me to sing Sakura Kiss by Chieko Kawabe." he facepalmed. "This is gonna be embarassing."

"We're singing Mata Ashita!" Olette cheered as Hayner sighed.

"Xion..do you think you could do it?" Vanitas asked. I gulped.

"I don't know. There are like, thirty people in this class. I can't even perform in front of one.."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you could do it." Olette assured, smiling.

I took a look at Roxas, who gave me a smile that read "Everything's gonna be alright." I felt a little better, until the bell rang. All my confidence vanished in a second.

The teacher stood up from her desk and walked to the front of the class.

"Hello again, class. As you all know, we will be starting the singing evaluations." the majority of the class groaned. "A few groups might not be able to perform today, so they will perform next week. However, about eight groups will be able to perform today. Any volunteers?"

"Oh, oh, oh! Me and Vanitas will!" Sora exclaimed, waving his hand around.

"No, we won't!" Vanitas yelled, glaring at Sora.

"If no one wants to go, I'll just have to pick the teams, then." she said. She walked over to her desk and picked a paper out of a small box. "Namine and Selphie."

Said girls smiled happily and jumped out of their seats. Namine ran to the front of the class while Selphie ran up to the teacher to hand her the CD. The teacher popped it into the stereo and soft music started playing.

Namine sang first. Woah..she was amazing. She sang so naturally, as if everything in the world was perfect. I frowned. Why can't I be more like..her?

The song finally reached to an end. Everyone cheered and clapped at the two who made their way back to their respective seats. The teacher gave them a few comments and tips before going back to her desk to pick out a new name.

"Sora and Vanitas." Sora screamed "Yes!" at the same time Vanitas cursed. Hayner, Olette, Pence and I giggled as our raven-haired friend made his way to the front of the class. Once Sora gave the teacher the CD, he ran to Vanitas and stood in front of him. The brunet smiled so wide I thought the corners of his mouth would touch his ears.

"Get out of my face, idiot." I heard Vanitas say. Sora pouted. The music suddenly started to play.

"Donna toki datte.." Vanitas sang, with a bored expression on his face. I faced the group in shock, their jaws were hanging open. Holy crap, Vanitas can sing!

When the song was over, Vanitas walked back to his seat and sat down. We all stared at him with wide eyes.

"What?" he asked, glaring.

"Y-You c- You could sing!" I managed to say.

"So? What's the big deal?" he scoffed.

"It's just..I thought you'd sing horribly." Hayner smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks." the black-haired teen rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>We were down to the last fifteen minutes of class. Roxas and I weren't called, so I was confident we were going to sing next class instead. That is, until the teacher called our names.<p>

"The last team will be Roxas and Xion." she said.

"Good luck, Xion." Pence said. I gulped and made my way to the front of the class, shaking. Roxas gave his iPod to the teacher, who plugged it into her stereo. When the music began to play, I froze. I couldn't do it..

"Xion? You okay?" Roxas's voice rang through my ears. I shook my head.

"I c-can't do i-i-it," I stuttered. I was looking in Roxas's blue eyes, but the many stares from the students bore right through me.

"Yes, you can." he assured. "Look, you're not alone. I'm right here." I nodded, still feeling a little scared.

The intro was coming to an end. I took a deep breath. Once the electric guitar made the last four notes, I opened my mouth and sang. My voice, and Roxas's, echoed through the whole classroom. The chorus ended and now, I had to sing the first verse alone. I took another deep breath, feeling as nervous as ever.

"Natukashii iro ni, mado ga somaru.." I sang. It wasn't so bad, I guess..

After what felt like an eternity, the song finally ended. I sighed in relief as everyone cheered and clapped. I ran to my seat and buried my red face in my hands.

"Good job," Vanitas said, ruffling my hair.

"Yeah, that was awesome!" Hayner exclaimed.

"..Thanks, guys." I said. "Aw, you're so lucky you weren't picked." I faced Olette, pouting.

"I would've loved to sing today to get it over with, but Hayner was too much of a baby." she narrowed her eyes at him.

Since there wasn't enough time for another group to perform, we had free time for the last few minutes.

"Hey, what do you guys have next?" I asked.

"Not sure, I left my schedule in my locker." Hayner said.

"History." Pence said.

"History, too." Olette replied.

"Japanese with you, Xion." Vanitas said. The bell rang, startling each of us.

"Well, see you guys at lunch then!" I said and walked to class with Vanitas.

* * *

><p>I threw my pencil on my desk, which rolled to the edge of the desk and fell off. I picked it up in annoyance and scanned through my paper. The stupid teacher gave us a surprise quiz! Brushing off the angry expression on my face, I walked up to my sensei and gave him the paper. I walked back to my seat and waited impatiently for the bell to ring. I sighed, twenty more minutes to go.<p>

Since Vanitas was finished as well, I took out a piece of paper and scribbled on it.

_I'm bored. Wanna pass notes?_

I folded the white sheet of paper and when I was sure the teacher wasn't looking, I threw it on Vanitas's desk. He spotted it and grabbed his pencil. Once he read my message, he wrote something down at his turn and passed it to me.

_Meh, sure. So, any plans this summer?_

I thought for a bit.

_Besides skateboarding lessons and hanging out with you guys, I'm pretty sure I'm going to Destiny Islands again. You?_

When I finished writing down my answer, I flicked the paper and watched it fall perfectly in front of him. He unfolded it, almost ripping it apart, and read. When he was done, he scribbled on the paper and passed it to me.

_Hey, that reminds me; we should all go to the beach this summer._

That's a good idea! The fresh smell of sea salt, the juicy watermelons we'll be eating, the colorful and rare seashells I'll find, that curved palm tree and that beautiful sunset..I smiled at the thought. We passed notes until the bell rang and surprisingly, we didn't get caught.

When the bell rang, I gathered up all my stuff and shoved the paper in my bag. Lunch time!

"See you at our table," Vanitas said and left the class. I left at my turn, thinking about everything we'll all be doing this summer. My locker was finally in view, so I stuffed my backpack in there and took my bento. I made my way outside and saw no one at our table. Wow, I was first for once. I sat down and opened up my lunch, but before I could take a bite out of my food, someone tapped my shoulder. I automatically turned around to see Roxas.

"Hey. I, uh.." a sprinkle of pink formed on his cheeks. "I-I just wanted to say that, uh, you have a r-really nice voice. Well, like- What I mean is, you sing really well."

"Oh, thanks. You sing really well, too." I said. He didn't say anything afterwards, so there was a long, awkward silence.

"Roxas!" a girly voice said. I could see Namine in the corner of my eye. Why does she keep popping out of nowhere? "Oh, hi Xion! You sang amazingly in Music class today,"

"You think so? Thanks. You, too."

"You two know each other?" Roxas asked, surprised.

"Of course we do, Roxas! Xion and I are really good friends!" Namine smiled at me. I heard familiar laughing close by and turned my head to the side. My best friends were about five steps away from the table.

"Yo, Xion, Vanitas told us about.." Hayner trailed off. "Uh, what're they doing here?" he pointed at the two blondes.

"Don't worry, we were just about to leave." Roxas said as Namine nodded. They both turned around and walked away side by side.

"Anyways, the beach would be a great place to go!" Throughout the whole lunch period, we talked about summer and how fun it's going to be. No more tests, no more drama, no more worries. Everything's gonna be perfect!

"Bye Xion! See you in third period!" Namine yelled from behind Pence, who was facing me. I waved bye and gave her a smile just to be nice.

She's up to something. I just know it.

* * *

><p>"Oi, your best friend's behind you." Vanitas said. I turned around and said "Bye!" to Namine before she exited the school grounds.<p>

"Don't join her evil group of evilness, Xion! Promise us!" Pence and Olette wailed. I sweatdropped.

"I won't, I won't! Promise!" I said and checked the time. "Crap, I gotta go, bye guys!"

I ran to the direction of home, since I only have fifteen minutes until my usual lessons. In a short amount of time, my house was finally in sight. I unlocked the door and ran up the stairs to my room. My backpack was thrown on the floor as I rummaged through my closet to look for something to wear. In the end, I decided to wear a yellow elbow-length shirt and jean capris. I ran down the stairs and grabbed my skateboard. I rolled my way to Station Plaza and saw Roxas sitting on his skateboard. How does he get here so fast?

"What're you gonna teach me today?" I asked.

"Well, you already mastered the Method Grab.." I grinned when he said that. "Wanna learn how to Air Walk?"

"Yes! I really wanna learn that! Please, please, please!" I said, sounding like a five-year-old who wanted to go to the circus.

"Okay, then." he chuckled. He went off explaining how to do a proper Air Walk. He made a few demonstrations and gave me many tips and pointers. "Think you can do it?"

"It seems pretty hard. But, I think I could do it." I said. However, like the first time I tried to jump in midair, I fell off the board (Roxas caught me, as usual) and my skateboard went flying. Air Walks were way harder than I thought they'd be.

Soon enough, the two of us found ourselves on top of the clock tower, eating our favorite ice cream.

"Hey, do you think Namine's acting a bit..different lately?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, she's suddenly talking to me. It's kinda weird." I took a bite of my ice cream.

"She just wants to be friends with you, I guess. Don't worry, Namine's really nice." he took the last bite of his ice cream and examined it. "Dang it! This one doesn't say 'WINNER'." Oh, that made me remember about my 'WINNER' stick. I never gave it to Roxas. I'm still waiting for the perfect day to give it to him.

"Woah, seven o'clock already? I have to go," he frowned.

"I'm gonna stay a little longer, actually." I said as I watched him stand up. I wanted to think about a few things that have been traveling through my mind lately.

"Okay, then. Bye!" he smiled. He disappeared into the door and I was finally left all alone.

The first thing I thought about was Namine, of course. I really want to know the reason to why she's suddenly talking to me. My mind then drifted to Roxas. Hold on..she started paying more attention to me right after Roxas started teaching me how to skateboard. And the way she smiles whenever she's with Roxas, it's like he's the only thing that matters in the whole world. Realization hit me. Could it be..

That Namine likes Roxas?

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><p>Oh, is it true?..Well, it's pretty obvious. xD Please keep reading, I promise it's gonna get exciting! Please review! ^^<p> 


	10. A Favor

Look who's back! :) I had lots of fun, but my family and I had to leave early. Anyways, please enjoy this chapter and- Well, you guys already know what I'm gonna thank you for. :D Sorry it's so short! Dx

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 10

A Favor

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEE-

I punched the off button on my alarm clock and sat up, stretching. Oh, I set the alarm at eight forty instead of eight thirty..Whatever. Twenty minutes is enough for me.

My foot got tangled up in my blanket, so I ended up faceplanting the hard floor. I growled and stood up, holding my nose. I know it wasn't broken nor bleeding, but it hurt like crazy. Geez! I hate being so clumsy. The pain soon disappeared and I was able to walk over to my closet. I picked up my uniform, darting out of my room to get to the washroom.

I zoomed out of the washroom once I finished whatever I needed to do in there and ran down the stairs.

"Morning, guys!" I said to my mom, who was making pancakes, and my dad, who just finished eating. They both greeted me back.

"How many pancakes do you want, sweetie?" mom asked right after I threw two pop-tarts into the toaster.

"Oh, uh, I'm kinda in a hurry, so I'm just gonna eat some of these!" my breakfast popped out of the toaster.

Once I put on my shoes, I grabbed my two strawberry pop-tarts and shoved them into my mouth. I licked the white frosting off of my fingers when I swallowed my breakfast and wiped my mouth with a napkin I snatched from the kitchen table.

"Bye!" I said and hurried out of the house. I ran for a good amount of time, but my energy quickly disappeared. I panted every now and then as I walked along the road to school.

The thought about Namine liking Roxas travelled through my mind. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up together. They were so close, as if they knew each other their whole life. However, the thought of this sends a small pain to my chest. I liked Roxas, sure, but I told everyone that I only liked him as a friend. I knew him for what, three or four weeks? But..he's different from the other annoying, popular, I'm-so-much-better-than-you snobs. He actually cared about me. I think.

Too wrapped up in my thoughts, I made a sharp turn, realizing I almost passed the shortcut. I looked up at the clear blue sky and smiled happily. School's almost over! I just have to survive through the finals and the many surprises along the way.

I saw Twilight High in the distance and realized that no one was outside. What the heck? I lifted up my wrist to check the time on my watch and guess what? I'm late. The bell rang about four minutes ago. I slapped my forehead before entering the school and rushed to Math class. I twisted the doorknob and poked my head into the class. Luckily, my teacher was looking through a drawer in the other end of the class. Like a ninja, I sneaked into my seat and snatched a few things from my bag to pretend I was here the whole time.

Still rummaging through the drawer, he said, "Why are you late again, Xion?" I cringed.

"Um, because..the bell rang before I could get here?" I laughed nervously. The whole class smirked.

"Haha. Very funny," he said sarcastically. "This was the second time this week. Late again and you get detention."

Wow, I actually thought he wouldn't notice. Whatever. I didn't get detention, so it's all good.

Class was extremely boring; all we did was do algebra equations in order to prepare for the finals. Everyone seemed to understand whatever the teacher was explaining, but for all I know, my brain exploded.

"So, Xion, can you tell us the answer to this equation?" my teacher asked. I looked up at the board and gulped. Okay, so..if the girl's age is three times the boy's age, but half of- Argh, just reading it hurts my head!

"S-Sure. The answer is, um.."

_RIIING!_

Yes! Saved by the bell!

"Anyways, class, x equals eight and there will be no homework tonight." we all cheered. "Have a good day."

I dashed out of class and sighed in relief. I flipped my notebook over to check what I had in second period, but my schedule wasn't there. Freaking out, I looked through the notebook, then my bag. No sign of it. Oh, sh-

"Are you looking for this?" someone held up the paper in front of my face. On the top read, 'Xion Uchida's schedule' in purple ink. Yup, it's mine. No doubt about that.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Thanks," I took the paper from the person's hand and saw, not surprisingly, Namine.

"You dropped it a few steps back." she smiled. "See you in Art class!" When she disappeared through the wave of people, I felt my body jerk forward suddenly.

"Ow! Oh, Xion! Sorry about that!" I turned around and met up with a pair of sapphire eyes.

"Roxas? O-Oh, it's fine." I smiled. "What do you have now?"

"Science, you?"

"Art."

"Well, I'll..walk you there." I nodded as we both started walking towards my class. "You know, you're getting really good at skateboarding." I smiled.

"You think so?" he nodded.

"You mastered most of the tricks I taught you in just a short amount of time, it's pretty awesome. But, a Heel Flip is the only trick you could do in midair. You still have to learn how to grind, do a Method Grab, a three-sixty spin and more before I show you how to do a three-sixty flip."

"Still a long way to go.." I sighed. I stopped walking, since I was standing in front of Art class already, but Roxas just kept walking. "Uh, Roxas?" he turned around slightly. His face turned red from embarassment as he ran up to me.

"Oi, why'd you stop walk.." he looked into the classroom. "Oh. You could've told me! People were staring at me! It looked like I was talking to myself!"

"Heh, sorry." I giggled.

"Yeah, yeah. So, see ya!" he left in a rush, since Science class was in the other end of the school. I entered class and sat down next to Pence, who was smirking.

"Hey, you know, I'm actually starting to believe you guys were meant to be together." he said, rather loudly.

"Pence, we are _not_ meant to be together. We're.."

"Just friends?" he finished for me. "No! You're wrong! You and Roxas were meant to be together! It's..Its's destiny!" I slapped my forehead.

"Quit being so loud!" I sighed.

The bell suddenly rang, but the teacher wasn't here yet. When the whole class noticed this, the majority of the people took out their cellphones and started texting their friends or something. When footsteps were heard in the hallway, the ones with cellphones slipped it back into their pocket or bag and greeted the teacher. I checked my watch. Wow, fifteen minutes late. That's a first.

"I'm sorry, class. I was stuck in traffic." she walked over to her desk and sat down. "I evaluated your paintings, by the way. You'll get it back, along with your grade."

"I bet I got a D," Pence said, turning to face me. "I spilled green paint all over the sky." Oh, right. It looked more like Hayner's army pants with random patches of Olette's orange shirt instead of the sunrise in Hollow Bastion. Well, Radiant Garden. It was re-named, but our group still calls it Hollow Bastion.

"Hey, I bet she understood, she'll probably give you a C or something at least."

My art teacher started calling out random names and each of them picked up their painting. A few grinned after seeing their grade, but a few frowned or cursed as well.

"Pence!" she called. My brown-haired friend ran up to her and took his drawing without checking the grade.

"Don't be a baby, come on, what'd you get?" he took a peak and sighed in relief. "So?"

"I got a C plus! I passed!" we high-fived.

"Xion!" I stood up and walked towards the teacher. She held up my painting and flipped it, where an A plus was visibly printed on it. "Your work was truly amazing. One hundred percent!" I thanked her and walked back to Pence, grinning.

"A plus, sucker!" I held the drawing in front of him (the side where my grade was written on).

"Show-off! Yeah, well..if I never spilled green paint on the sky, the teacher would've probably given me an A plus _plus_!"

"But, you didn't! And besides, you showed off with your Math test last week!" I stuck my tongue out as he pouted.

When everyone received their grade, the Art teacher gave us a new project. We could draw whatever we wanted and use any kind of tool. What I mean is, colored pencils, markers, paint..You get the idea.

"What're you drawing?" I asked the brunet who sat beside me.

"You and Roxas sharing a Paopu fruit in Destiny Isla- Ow!" I pounded him on the head before he could finish that sentence. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I'm gonna draw..uh, I don't know yet. You?"

"Our group. Me, you, Hayner, Olette and Vanitas."

"Knew it. You always draw us in class, not that it's a bad thing, don't worry." he chuckled. "Oh, and you forgot Roxas."

* * *

><p>"..And if I do say so myself, I looked pretty epic when I jumped in front of Seifer to get the last plate of beef teriyaki and takoyaki." Hayner said proudly after finishing his story.<p>

"No, actually, you were in front of Seifer in the line and there were six more plates of beef teriyaki and three more plates of takoyaki. You liar." Olette said, facepalming. "And besides, Seifer took the curry."

"Okay, maybe I did over-react a little." the blonde laughed nervously.

"Hey, Xion!" a cheerful voice said as the person ruffled my hair.

Knowing who it was, I turned around and said, somewhat too happily, "Roxas!"

"I just wanted to tell you that I can't make it this afternoon."

"Really? You could make it tomorrow though, right?"

"Yeah. Well, that's all I wanted to tell you. Bye!" he ran off to his table where a redhead pulled him into a bear hug and yelled, "You talked to a girl! My little Roxy is growing up!" Roxas struggled to get out of his grasp, while a small giggle escaped from my lips.

"Well, well, well." Vanitas said, smirking. "'Can't make it this afternoon'? Xion..did you guys have a date?" I felt my face heat up even if it wasn't true.

"What the heck? Of course not! He was talking about my le-"

"I knew it! I knew you two were dating!" Olette cheered.

"Oh, my gosh! How long were you guys together?" Pence asked with his mouth full of food. I glared at each of them.

"We are not dating! He was talking about my skateboarding lessons!" I said in annoyance.

"She's trying to hide the truth," Hayner grinned.

"You guys are _so_ annoying."

* * *

><p>My friends teased me about Roxas and I being together throughout the whole day. It was extremely irritating, but I knew that they were only kidding. I said bye to them as I headed towards the exit of the school, however, a pale hand appeared on my shoulder.<p>

"Oh! N-Namine, you scared me!" I said.

"Oh, sorry," she smiled innocently. "Roxas told me that he couldn't make it to your lessons. So, I was thinking that, maybe we could walk together?"

"Well, I kinda wanted to walk by myself, but okay." I shrugged. The pale blonde ran up to my side and thanked me.

We didn't talk about anything at first. It was complete silence between us, until Namine decided to break it when we were passing by the cherry blossom trees.

"Xion," she started. She stopped walking, so I stopped as well to listen to what she had to say.

"Uh, yeah?" She had a light pink blush on her cheeks.

"I can trust you, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, of course. Why? Is there anything wrong?"

"Actually.." she started. "I really like someone." Why is she telling me this? Shouldn't she be telling someone else? Like her best friend or something? Why me? "I would give anything to be with him, but I'm too shy to tell him how I feel. So, I was wondering if..you could do me a favor?"

"Well, depends on what it is."

"Can you help us get together?"

"Um, Namine, I-I don't think I could do something like that. Maybe you could ask someone else?" I started walking away, but she grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to my previous spot.

"No, only you can help me! He wouldn't suspect anything if it was you! Please Xion?" she pleaded. I bit my lower lip, then sighed.

"Fine." she thanked me and smiled with pure happiness. "But, how can I do it if I don't even know the guy?"

"Oh, don't worry, you know him very well."

"Really? Who is it?"

"Roxas."

* * *

><p>LE GASP. What will Xion say to that? Will she help Namine and Roxas get together? After all, the raven-haired girl said that they were 'just friends'..Sorry for late update, by the way. And please review, it would be great to know about your opinion on the story so far. :)<p> 


	11. Friends or Rivals?

I was supposed to update yesterday, but I had a huge headache. I'm fine now, so it's all good. :D You guys have no idea how happy I am with the number of reviews! I've never had over 70 reviews before, so thank you! Thank you so much! I wuv you guys. :3

* * *

><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 11

Friends or Rivals?

"R-Roxas?" I whispered, stunned. A part of my heart shattered at her confession. The pale blonde nodded her head with a bright smile on her face. She moved closer to me and grabbed both of my hands.

"Thank you so much, Xion!" she smiled even wider. "You're a true friend! Thank y-" I cut her off by escaping from her grasp. She looked at me in shock.

"Namine," I said, avoiding eye contact. "I'm sorry. I can't help you if it's Roxas.." I looked up at her and saw two emotions in her eyes: sadness and anger. We stared at each other for quite some time, until Namine looked down and shook her head.

"I knew it.." she said, then looked up at me. "I knew you'd refuse." I winced at her icy glare. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. However, she knew exactly what to say. "You..love Roxas, don't you?"

My heart felt like it was pounding a hundred times per second. Even if I hate to admit it, Namine..was right.

"I-I..I guess I do." I admitted. The blonde before me looked like she was about to cry.

"You d-don't know how l-lucky y-you are," she choked out. "Roxas pays so much attention to you. You're the only thing he ever talks about.." My eyes widened a little. "But, w-why..?

I stared at her in confusion before asking, "what..do you mean?"

"Why do you love him? Is it because you guys spend a lot of time together during your lessons? Because he's nice to you? Because he treats you the same way he treats his friends. Why?" she yelled, the tears falling down her cheeks.

I thought over it. I knew Roxas and I didn't know each other for long, but everything seemed so perfect whenever we were together. Was the amount of time we spent together the only reason I loved him? Because he treated me differently than the other people from the popular crowd?

I stayed quiet because I knew she was right. She was right about everything.

"I've always loved Roxas. Ever since middle school. But, he never payed attention to me. He only thought of me as a friend. Nothing more than a friend.." The tears began to fall faster and faster down her face. "All these years, I've been trying to become the type of girl he liked. And finally when I was sure I succeeded, _you_ came into his life."

A pang of guilt rushed through my body when she said that last sentence.

"Namine, I-I'm sorry.." I whispered.

"You have no idea how much I hate you right now! He means everything to me, everything single thing! And I lost him to you! You don't even _deserve_ him!" she sobbed. I watched the crystal tears escape from her eyes before running down her face. "Why are you still here? Go away! Leave!" I frowned as I started walking away from the crying girl.

Each step I took made me feel even more guilty than I already am.

* * *

><p>I came across two paths; the one on the left would bring me home while the other one would bring me to the market area of Twilight Town. I started walking towards the direction that would bring me home, but stopped. I stared at the right path for about five seconds and without a second thought, I walked towards the marketplace. I took out the very few munny I had in my pocket and sighed in relief when I found out I had enough to buy one bar of sea salt ice cream.<p>

"One sea salt ice cream, please." I asked politely. The woman handed me the frozen treat at the same time I handed her the munny. I thanked her and made my way towards the clock tower.

I finally reached the top of the high building, my lips forming a small smile. I loved this place, it made me feel like I was at the top of the world. I sat at the edge of the tower, admiring the sunset before me. I licked my sea salt ice cream and in a way, it tasted saltier than usual.

_"Why do you love him? Is it because you guys spend a lot of time together during your lessons? Because he's nice to you? Because he treats you the same way he treats his friends. Why?"_

Those words echoed through my mind. I sighed, shoving a big piece of ice cream into my mouth.

When I think about it, besides everything Namine said, why did I love Roxas?

I shouldn't love him if I didn't have a reason.

I took the last bite of my ice cream and checked my stick once I swallowed the cold snack. I flipped the stick numerous times, making sure that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Unfortunately, the word 'WINNER' was nowhere to be found. Oh, well. I admired the orange-ish sky and the bright sunset for about twenty minutes, then decided to go home since there was nothing else better to do.

What will happen between me and Namine?

Are we friends..or rivals?

* * *

><p>It's been three days since Namine and I last talked.<p>

We've crossed paths a couple of times, but all I received from her was a glare. A cold, scary, life-threatening glare.

"Xion, are you listening?" Olette asked.

"Oh, that's great, Olette!" I exclaimed.

"You have no idea what I just said."

"Nope." the brunette sighed.

"I said, anything wrong between you and Namine? Before, she was all, "Hi, Xion! You were great! See you next class!" Now, she's like, "Get away from me. I hate you." What happened?" I wanted to tell Olette everything, but I'm not ready to tell her yet.

"I actually have no idea." she shrugged, flipping her notebook over.

"D'aw. I have English right now. You?" I pointed at a classroom which was just a few steps away.

"Japanese. See you at lunch?" my best friend nodded and skipped away to class. In the distance, I saw two people standing outside my classroom; a girl with blue hair and a boy with brown hair. The brown-haired boy had his right arm draped around the girl's waist as they both looked inside the room. When I came closer, the boy noticed me and nudged his friend (or girlfriend). She looked at him and since he was looking in my direction, the blue-haired girl followed his gaze and smiled when she saw me.

"Hey, aren't you that kid who hangs out with Ven all the time?" the boy asked me. I remained silent. Who are these people?

"Oh, I'm sorry. You were probably wondering who we were. Sorry for throwing a random question like that at you." I swear, she read my mind. "I'm Aqua and he's Terra. We're Ven's friends."

"I'm Xion. And, um, it's nice to meet you two, but..who's Ven?" I asked, confused.

"You know, that boy you always talk to? Blonde hair, blue eyes, about this tall." he said, placing his hand a few inches above me.

"Oh! You two have it all wrong; the one I hang out with all the time is_ Roxas_. Not Ven," I corrected.

"..Seriously?" Terra sweatdropped.

"Wait. Are you a freshman?" Aqua asked. I nodded as they both slapped their foreheads. "Well, no wonder! Ven's in second year! Terra, are you sure this is his class?" Terra pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and read it. His eyes widened.

"Oh. His class is 216..not 316." he laughed nervously. Aqua looked like she was about to pound him on the head, but her face softened and she started giggling.

"It's okay," she smiled, causing Terra to blush. Aqua then turned to me. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Xion. But, we have to go find our friend now. Bye!" The couple walked away holding hands. Yup, they were _definately_ together.

Realizing I was standing in the way, I entered class and approached Vanitas, who was looking outside. I poked his head.

"Hello," I said as I sat down.

"Hi, Xion." he said without facing me.

"Good morning, Roxas!" When his name popped up, I automatically turned my head, smiling. However, my smile turned into a scowl when I realized that it was Namine who said it. She ran up to Roxas, smiling, and lead him to the empty seat next to her.

She's been trying to get closer to Roxas ever since that certain day. Whenever Roxas and I would talk, she'd interrupt us and take him away. She even wanted to come to skateboarding lessons once. How could Roxas not think she's annoying?

When the blonde-haired girl sat down, she turned to face me and stuck her tongue out. This annoyed me so much that I threw my eraser at her when she turned away from me. It hit the back of her head, causing her to spin around slightly. She looked around the room and glared when her eyes fell on me.

"What?" I mouthed, smiling evilly. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, I noticed your sudden behavior towards Namine." Vanitas said. "Anything happen between you two?"

"Actually, she just started acting like a b-"

"I get it. You really don't need to finish that sentence."

Japanese class; nothing that interesting happened..if you take out the part with me and Namine. We were throwing things at each other, making faces and all those other childish, but annoying, things. We never got caught, which made me question if the teacher was blind. Seriously. I threw two erasers, shot eight elastics, threw balls made out of crumpled paper and he didn't see a single one of those items I mentioned.

"Bye, Vani." I said as I watched him disappear in the large crowd of people.

"Yo, Xion!" Roxas popped up from behind me. "After lessons, I was thinking that maybe we could go t-"

"Oh, you guys are going somewhere tonight?" Namine. Ugh.

"Um, yeah." Roxas scratched the back of his head. "I was gonna ask her if we could go to that new cafe down the street."

"Really? Mind if I tag along?"

"I kinda only wanted it to be me and Xion, but I guess you could come, too." NOOOO! Why'd you have to be so nice, Roxas?

"Thank you! So, you guys will be there at around six maybe?" Roxas nodded. "I'll meet you guys there! Bye-bye!"

Great. Just great.

* * *

><p>"Any stories about getting the last plate before Seifer did?" I asked Hayner.<p>

"Of course! So, today-"

"Seifer was in front of him and took the last plate of curry." Olette said calmly, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Thanks, Olette." he glared. "I don't have anything to talk about anymore. So..now what?"

"I brought cards.." Pence replied, pulling out a pack of cards from his pocket.

"We could play goldfish," Olette suggested.

"Black jack?" Pence said at his turn.

"Old maid?" I said.

"..Poker?" Hayner perked up at Vanitas's suggestion.

"Perfect! Let's play Poker!" Hayner cheered.

"But..what do we bet with?" I asked.

"We'll play.." he checked his watch, "seven rounds. Person with the most junk has to do three dares."

"You're on!" everyone, except Hayner and Olette, said at the same time.

"Wait, wait. Who's the dealer?" Pence asked. Olette raised her hand as Pence gave her the cards. She gave us five cards each and the game begun.

At first, it was serious, but we ended up making jokes and laughing at stupid things. The three dares were off, since we were all cheating. Thank goodness, I had three junks in a row, I would've probably been the one to do the dares.

The first bell rang in the middle of the final round, signaling that there was only five minutes left until class started. We all walked in the same direction, since we had Music class right now.

I was happy because it was the only class we all had together, but I was also annoyed because Namine had Music, too.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, I found myself at home, rummaging through my closet. It was freaking laundry day, so all my favorite shirts were nowhere to be found. I picked up the pink tank top Olette bought me and grimaced. I only wore it once; such a waste of munny. I threw it over my shoulder and actually found something decent to wear. I threw on a plain turquoise shirt and black capris, along with a turquoise hairband. It'll do.<p>

I shoved my feet in my Converse shoes and picked up my skateboard. I ran out the door and hopped onto my skateboard in order to get to Station Plaza faster. As usual, Roxas was there before me and he stood up when he saw me.

"So? New trick today?" I asked. Did I mention that I mastered the Method Grab? Aren't I awesome? Hehe!

"Of course. I'll teach you how to do a three-sixty-" my eyes sparkled, "-spin." My excitement vanished. I pouted.

"Crap, I thought you were gonna say 'flip'."

"You're still not good enough to do that."

"Thanks." he chuckled. He then went on explaining on how to do a three-sixty spin and I listened intently. I _need_ to learn how to do the three-sixty flip before the end of summer._ I have to._

Skateboarding lessons had to be cut short because we had to meet Namine at the cafe. We both hopped onto our skateboards and rolled all the way to the cafe, which happened to be in the other end of the town. We saw Namine waving at us by the entrance, so we sped up and stopped in front of her.

"Good afternoon, Roxas." she said, completely ignoring me. How nice. Since I found no importance of what she was saying, I took some time to back up and check the name of the place. The huge, lit up sign read, 'Oathkeeper Cafe'. Honestly, it has a good ring to it.

"Xion, you coming?" Roxas asked. He held the door open for me to enter.

"Huh? Oh!" I picked up my skateboard and ran inside. We walked to the empty table by the window and flipped through the menu.

"I'll be paying. Anything you two want?" Roxas asked.

"We could all pay for ourselves. No one's forcing you to pay, Roxas." I said.

"No, really. I don't mind. So, what do you two want?"

"Are you sure?" he nodded, smiling.

"Thank you!" Namine said in the sweetest voice I've ever heard. Eesh. "I'll have..a small fruitcake and an ice tea, please." I checked the prices of Namine's order. In all, it was 6.50 munny. Since I didn't want Roxas to pay too much, I ordered a slice of chocolate cake, which was only 2 munny. At least _someone_ was nice, sheesh.

When Roxas left to buy our food, Namine's sweet smile turned into a death glare.

"I can't believe _you_ had to come." she scoffed. I twitched.

"You know, _I_ should be the one telling you _that_."

"Whatever."

"Look, Namine, I'm sorry. I really am, but we shouldn't hate each other because of some guy." I sighed, hoping I talked some sense into her. "So, can we put this all aside and..be friends?" I held my hand out for her to shake it. Instead, she slapped it away.

"No," she said. "We're rivals from now on."

"W-What?"

"Let me just get one thing straight, Xion." she glared at me with pure hatred in her eyes. "I never lose. Roxas will be mine; one way or another. You'll see."

* * *

><p>DUN DUN DUUUN! Next chapter might be up by Wednesday or Thursday. Because on Friday, Saturday and Sunday..ANIME CONVENTION. ANIME CONVENTION. ANIME CONVENTION! ^^ All three days! Can't waaaaait!<p>

Please make my day by reviewing! :)


	12. Tomorrow

Hey, guys! Sorry it took me forever to update. There was this huge virus on my computer and I had to reset everything. I lost all my files, photos..Ugh. Plus, I was almost done with this chapter. All I had to do was write down the last few sentences and I could update. But, nooo. My computer just had to be a meanie.

Also, I'm sorry that this chapter is kinda boring. :/ The next chapter will be a OMG-WTH-NAMINE-I-CANT-BELIEVE-YOU-DID-THAT! :D I have this whole story planned out and well, there will be 35 chapters. Maybe less. It'll take me forever to make 35 chapters. xD Hey, that sounds familiar. Did I already say that before? o.o

And, of course, thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! I never thought I'd get this many! *cyber hug* :3 Oh, I added Axel in this chapter because I've received a few reviews saying that they wanted to read more of the pyro. Please enjoy this chapter. :)

* * *

><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 12

Tomorrow

Namine and I are rivals.

I can't believe this had to happen. It's the end of the year. I thought that there would be nothing to worry about anymore. No more drama, no more heartbreaks..

Guess I was wrong.

After the event at the cafe, Namine has been trying to get closer to Roxas. She would immediately call out his name once a project was mentioned, ask him to sit next to her in class, et cetera. This annoyed me to no end, since lessons have been cancelled at the last minute about three times in a row already. And maybe I'm kinda worried that Roxas will end up falling in love with her..

Shaking the thought away, I shifted in my bed a bit, trying to find a comfortable spot. I twisted slightly, which caused my left leg to tangle up with my blanket. I sighed in annoyance and dug my face into my warm pillow. After one minute of staying in that same position, I realized I couldn't breathe, so I flipped over to my back. I twisted and turned occasionally and after the umpteenth try, I managed to find a comfy spot. My right leg was wrapped around my blanket, while my left leg dangled freely at the edge of my bed. I had an arm under my pillow and the other one lay on the back of my head. The weirdest positions are always the most comfortable for me, heh.

"Finally." I mumbled as I shut my eyes slowly. Of course, the only thing to ruin this moment was the blaring of my alarm clock. It just had to scare the crap out of me, whilst making me fall out of bed. I groaned, searching for the plug somewhere behind my drawer. Once I found it, I unglugged the device and grinned victoriously.

Realizing I was sprawled across the floor, I stood up lazily and picked up my cellphone. Wow. Guess I'll be leaving earlier than usual.

I hurriedly did my morning routine and before exiting my bedroom, I grabbed my piggy-bank and poured a few coins into my hand. I could smell the cheese omelet from here, but I really didn't feel like having some today. I shoved the munny in my school bag and ran down the stairs. After falling off the rail last night, I don't think I'll ever do it again.

"Uh, I'm leaving!" I said, unlocking the door.

"You're not going to eat breakfast?" she poked her head out of the kitchen.

"I'm gonna buy something on the way! Bye!" I shut the door behind me and parted in the direction of the bakery.

* * *

><p>A faint 'ding' was heard when I opened the door to the shop. The scent of cherry blossoms and sea salt ice cream were replaced by the sweet aroma of chocolate, cinnamon and bread, fresh from the oven. I took another whiff of the air as my empty stomach grumbled noisily.<p>

"Have a nice day." the woman at the counter said to..

"Pence?" I said out loud, causing the brunet to turn around.

"Oh, Xion!" he said with his mouth full. "Good morning!"

"Oi, wait for me, will you?" he nodded. I reached for the coins in the pocket of my bag and dropped it on the counter. "One anman, please." (A/N : Anman is a bun with sweet red bean paste as a filling.) The woman counted the munny and luckily, I had enough. She gave me the change, along with my food, and I met up with Pence outside.

"That's all you're gonna eat?" he asked, pointing at my small breakfast.

"I'm saving up some munny for the beach. This is pretty much the only thing I could get with the munny I brought." I took a huge bite of the bun, regretting it afterwards since it was really hot.

"Want some?" he offered, opening up the box in his hands. There were cakes, anmans, cinnamon buns, butter bread and much more. Man, I wouldn't even be able to finish half of what he bought.

"It's okay. It's your food." I took another bite of the sweet bun.

"No, really. Take a butter bread at least. I know you want one!" he said the last part in a sing-song voice. I snatched a butter bread out of the box and took a bite out of it.

"Thank you.." I said once I swallowed the pastry.

"No promeblo." the two of us walked along the path to school, neither of us saying a word. Until Pence decided to ask about Namine. "Hey, you and Namine ar-"

"Yes, Pence. I know. We're not talking. Why does everyone keep asking me about that? It really is no big deal, geez!" I snapped.

"Sorry for asking.." he said quietly. "But, I know there's something wrong between you two. Well, the whole world knows, but I'm pretty sure you've already noticed that by now." he chuckled. "So, what happened?"

"You see, we had this sort of..um, argument. And something I said really hurt her and.." I paused. "In short, she just hates me."

"What did you guys fight over? You two like the same thing?" Actually, the same person.

"Something like that."

We continued walking in silence, bumping into Hayner and Olette somewhere along the way.

"You're eating ice cream in the morning?" I asked Hayner. The blonde nodded happily.

"Why? There isn't anything wrong with that." he licked the chocolate-flavored treat.

"It's just weird," Olette said. "It's like eating cereal for dinner."

"I eat cereal for dinner sometimes.." Pence mumbled. Silence took over, until Olette let out a small giggle. I joined her, along with the two other boys as we soon found ourselves laughing histerically in front of the school gates. Some people gave us weird looks, while others just passed by as if they never saw us.

"Um, are you guys okay?" we all turned around simultaneously to see Vanitas with a raised eyebrow. "What's so funny here?"

"I-I honestly d-d-don't know!" Hayner exclaimed, laughing even louder than before the raven-haired boy arrived. He clutched onto his stomach, forgetting that he was still eating chocolate ice cream, and said ice cream slipped off the cone and landed on the ground with a 'plop'. The blonde stopped laughing when he realized what happened. "M-My ice cream!" he pouted.

"You could get another one this afternoon, Hayner." Olette simply said.

"Yeah, no need crying over spilled..uh, ice cream?" Pence said. Vanitas facepalmed at Pence's last comment.

The first bell rang as we all went in different directions. Pence and I walked through the almost empty hallways and soon reached our first period class: Art. The last bell rang right when I took a step in the class. Since our sensei wasn't looking, the two of us ran into our seats.

"Good morning, everyone!" she said, placing a pile of papers on her desk. "Today's the last day to finish your drawing. I will pick it up in the end of class." Once she finished saying that, the whole class rushed to her desk to get their drawing. Pence stood up when the violent people returned to their seat and headed towards the pile.

"Can you get mine, too, please?" I asked as Pence obeyed. He returned with two sheets of paper in hand.

"Your drawing turned out pretty good." Pence complimented.

"You're kidding, right?" he shook his head.

"It looks just like us!..except in anime form." I don't really watch anime or read manga, but I love that kind of art; especially the eyes.

"I found the- Oops!" All of a sudden, I felt a gooey substance on my hair. A drop of said substance fell on my desk. Green paint. The whole class corrupted in laughter as I turned around to see who the culprit was.

"Namine!" I yelled in fury, standing up. She smiled innocently.

"Whoops. My bad." I closed my fist and held it up in the air, about to strike. However, I was held back by Pence.

"Let. Me. Go. Pence." I said menacingly. He remained silent as the teacher walked over to us.

"What happened here?" she took a look at my hair, then at Namine. "Namine, did you do this?"

"Yes, but it was an accident. I would never do that to Xion on purpose." she explained. Freaking liar.

"I see. Well, no need for punishment." she said. "You could go wash your hair, Xion." I glared at Namine one last time before exiting the classroom. I walked along the hallway, receiving a few stares from teachers, skippers and janitors. I glared the whole way and finally, the girl's washroom was seen in sight. I zoomed in, slamming the door behind me, and ran to the sink. The paint was almost dried and there were a few green spots on my uniform. I stuck my head in the sink and turned the faucet on, allowing the warm water to travel through my hair. Stupid Namine.

When I was sure the paint was gone, I stopped the water from flowing and examined my hair. No green paint. Good. I squeezed all the water out of my hair and left the washroom, still a bit annoyed.

Namine Takahara, go die in a hole.

* * *

><p>I added the last few extra touches to my drawing, then admired my work. It turned out pretty good, actually. I stood up and walked over to the wooden desk and right when my drawing made contact with the pile before me, the bell rang. I waved bye to Pence and walked out of the classroom. I shoved my art stuff in my locker and pulled out my gym uniform, along with a water bottle.<p>

I managed to escape through the wave of people, finding myself in front of the girl's changing room. I opened the door and was greeted by no other than Olette.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, attacking me with a hug.

"Gah, what's with the sudden hug?" I asked as the cheerful brunette let go of me.

"I heard about Art class. I figured you needed a hug."

"It doesn't matter. It's just paint." I shrugged. "So, what're we doing today?"

"Fifty meter race. You're paired up with Namine."

"Wonderful." I said sarcastically.

Soon enough, we all found ourselves outside. Ten pairs already raced and now, it was finally my turn.

"Xion Uchida and Namine Takahara!" Coach yelled. Namine and I shot glares at each other and stood side by side, prepared to run.

"Three, two.." a whistle resounded. Swiftly, I held my foot out and this action caused Namine to trip. I smiled evilly and ran forward as fast as I can. In just a few seconds, I reached the end of the field and collapsed on the ground to catch my breath.

"Amazing job, Xion, as always." Coach complimented. "Eight point twenty four seconds."

"Thanks..Coach." I panted.

"As for you, Namine." Coach turned away from me to face the blonde who just arrived. "Fifteen point thirty eight seconds. No improvement."

"But, Coach! Xion tripped me! That's why I came late!" she protested.

"Don't blame your classmate for tripping on your own feet." I smirked. I walked over to the benches and sat next to my best friend.

"I saw what you did. Bad Xion," Olette giggled.

"What're you talking about?" I asked innocently.

Oh, well. She deserved it.

* * *

><p>"Holy crap!" Olette exclaimed in shock, standing up. "You..You brang a bento!" Hayner looked up at the surprised brunette, who was now pointing at him.<p>

"..So? What's wrong with that?" he asked in confusion.

"You haven't brought a bento since elementary! It's a miracle!"

"Quit over-reacting, 'Lette. It's no big deal!" he chuckled as Olette lowered her arm and sat back down.

"Geez, why do girls over-react all the time?" Vanitas asked.

"We do _not_!" Olette and I yelled at the same time. I felt someone tap my shoulder, so I turned around and met up with a pair of bright green eyes.

"Hello there, Xion." the redhead said coolly.

"Uh, hi." I said.

"If you were wondering, I'm Roxas's buddy." he pointed a finger to his face. "The name's Axel, got it memorized?"

"Axel! What are you telling her?" a voice from behind him yelled.

"I just wanted to tell you that Roxas wants to marry you!" Roxas appeared from behind him, trying to pull him away.

"I didn't say that! Stop making up stories!" the blonde yelled in annoyance.

"And he has a shrine of you in his bedroom!" Axel then escaped from Roxas's grasp and ran back to the table as if he never did anything.

"S-Sorry about that." Roxas blushed. "Anyways, I can't make it to lessons again."

"Again? This is the fourth time already!"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I'll be there tomorrow."

"You said that yesterday." I frowned.

"I'll cancel anything that pops up tomorrow, okay?"

"Promise?"

"Promise." he smiled. I heard someone call out my name, so I moved my head a little to the right to see the redhead from before waving at me. When he was sure I was looking at him, he pointed at Roxas and made kissy faces. Another boy with a 'mull-hawk' saw what Axel was doing and made kissy faces as well.

"Um, I'll see ya in fourth!" Right when he turned around, Axel and the other boy stopped making kissy faces and acted normal. I turned around to see all my friends smirking at me.

"You hear that, Xion? Uchiyama wants to marry you." Vanitas teased.

"I knew it!" Pence exclaimed.

* * *

><p>Third and fourth period ended in a blur as I found myself in front of the school gates. And surprisingly, Namine didn't do anything in revenge for what I did to her in Gym. Oh, well. That's a good thing.<p>

"Bye, guys." I said to my group. When I rounded the corner, I accidentally bumped into..Roxas.

"Oh! Sorry about that, Xion." he apologized.

"What happened, Ro-" Namine poked her head out from behind Roxas. "Oh."

"Huh? You guys going somewhere?" I asked.

"Yup! We're going to Roxas's house to finish a project. Didn't he tell you?"

"Actually, no..he didn't." I narrowed my eyes at him. He gave me an apologetic look.

"Well, we have to go now. We really need to finish it. Bye-bye!" I watched them disappear in the distance, both angry and upset.

No wonder he couldn't make it for the past few days..

It was all Namine's doing.

* * *

><p>What did you think of this chapter? Good? Bad? Horrible? Not the best chapter, I know. But, trust me, all of you are gonna be like, "OH EM GEE. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS. NAMINE, YOU-" when you read the next chapter. :D<p>

Mr. Review Button says "Click me!" :)


	13. Lie

OVER 100 REVIEWS? OH MY GOSH, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I NEVER THOUGHT I'D GET THIS MANY REVIEWS IN..A MILLION YEARS! xD You all made me so happy that words can't even describe how happy I am! THANK YOU SO MUCH! :')

And..it's THE chapter. I won't say anything else. Just go ahead and read~ :)

* * *

><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 13

Lie

_If you truly loved someone, there always had to be a reason._

_Maybe you loved them because of the way they always made you smile. Or because they were always by your side no matter what._

_I loved Roxas._

_But..why?_

_He was kind, but everyone was kind at some point in life. He treated me the same way he treated everyone, but Olette treated me like that before we became friends. We spent a lot of time together, but I spent a lot of time with Vanitas, Hayner and Pence, yet I only think of them as best friends._

_There was no point in loving someone if you had no reason.._

_..Right?_

* * *

><p>I took one step outside and looked up at the beautiful blue sky above me. If you take out the part of Namine existing, everything all around me was perfect. Roxas promised to come today and it would only be the two of us. It wasn't a big deal, but it filled me with pure happiness. He always kept his promises, so I didn't feel doubtful at all.<p>

I passed by the pink cherry blossom trees, in which the falling petals and the soft breeze travelled all around me. In just a few minutes, Twilight High appeared in the distance. I saw my friends waiting for me in front of the gate and waved hi enthusiastically.

"Good morning, guys!" I greeted, smiling.

"Morning." they all said in unison.

"Hey, are you busy tomorrow after school? We were thinking about going to that new buffet down the street!" Pence beamed. Ah, Pence. It's always food with you.

"Awesome, count me in!" I grinned. You should see us at buffets, we eat everything. And yell at people when they're about to take the last bit of food left.

The first bell rang in the middle of our conversation as we all headed towards the same class. When the long hallway finally reached to an end, each of us entered the classroom. Typically, Namine shot me a death glare as I rolled my eyes at her. Ooh, I'm so scared.

Her icy glare then softened and the look in her eyes turned into one of pain and jealousy.

"Good morning." I turned around to see Roxas's face just inches away from mine.

"G-Good morning, R-Roxas." I stuttered, blushing.

"Yo, Roxas! Over here!" his friends yelled from behind him, causing the blonde to turn around. He nodded his head at them and turned to me once more.

"See ya!" he smiled and walked over to his table. I sat on my chair and turned my head around to face Namine. When I was sure I caught her attention, I stuck my tongue out as she scowled.

"Good morning, class!" the music teacher sang once the bell rang. "Since the finals are almost here and it could cause a lot of stress to all of you, there will be no more work for the next classes." The whole class cheered. Sora even ran up to the teacher to hug her.

"Phew, I thought she was gonna say that we have a new assignment or something," Hayner sighed in relief.

"How many classes do we have left for Music anyway?" I asked. Olette counted her fingers.

"Three!" Olette replied. I was expecting more, but three is good enough for me!

In the beginning of class, we were able to play on the instruments, but we got scolded by the classroom next door because we were too noisy. Now, here we are, talking and listening to Vanitas's music.

"Argh, change the song, it's too depressing." Hayner sulked. Vanitas rolled his eyes and pressed the "Next" button. "Change." Vanitas changed again. And again. And again. And- What the heck?

"..Why do you have this song on your iPod?" Hayner asked. (A/N : Think of the girliest song you know. xD)

"Uh.." was all Vanitas could say. Unable to hold it in anymore, Olette and I burst out laughing, followed by Hayner and Pence.

"So, I'm guessing you have-"

"Oh, just shut up." Vanitas growled before turning off his iPod. I glanced at the clock and smiled when I realized that there were two minutes left of class. I tapped my fingers on the desk impatiently and jumped up when the bell rang. One hour closer until lessons!

"Bye guys!" I said and walked out of class. While heading to my locker, someone pushed past me and let out a "Hmph." I smirked when I saw medium-length blonde hair walking farther into the hallway.

I grabbed all my History books and threw my backpack into my locker. All my notebooks and stuff in it made a loud "Thud!", grabbing the attention of a few students. Oops. I then shut my locker and headed to History class, sighing. Another class with Namine. Yay.

On my way there, I felt someone push my back as I fell forward. I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for my face to hit the floor. However, I felt two arms wrap around me in the middle of my fall and gently helped me up. I opened my eyes and saw a pair of blue eyes and spiky blonde hair.

"R-Roxas?" I asked. Wait, this can't be Roxas. The blonde I know is much shorter.

The boy in front of me chuckled and said, "Nope. I'm Ventus. Ven for short." he grinned.

"Oh, there you are!" a deep voice from behind him exclaimed. Ven turned around as a dark aura surrounded his body.

"You did that on purpose, Terra!" he accused. A familiar brunet appeared from the crowds of people, along with a blue-haired girl by his side.

"Tch, no I didn- Oh!" Terra looked at me. "It's you! Uh, Sh.."

"Xion." Aqua finished for him. She then pointed at the spiky blonde next to me. "That's Ven. Doesn't he look a lot like your friend?" she giggled.

"Yeah, he really does." I smiled.

"Sorry about him. He's really clumsy." the tall brunet said as he ruffled his friend's hair.

"What're you saying? You pushed me!" the two boys then started arguing as Aqua and I sweatdropped. Sighing, the blue-haired girl split them apart and her two friends looked away from each other with arms crossed. The first bell echoed through the hallway, startling me.

"Oh, first bell already? I guess we'll be leaving," Aqua said. "It was nice seeing you again!" I nodded as the three friends walked off.

I walked off as well, to the most boring class ever, waiting for the day to finish already.

* * *

><p>"Where are the guys?" I asked Olette, who was the only one at the table.<p>

"Hayner and Vanitas were late for second period and since they both have something do to this afternoon, they have to do their cleaning duties at lunchtime." she replied. "And Pence has make-up classes. He failed the last history test." I sat across from her and opened up my bento.

"Oh, well. At least we don't have to listen to Hayner's stupid stories." we laughed.

"Oh, I've been wanting to ask," Olette beamed. "Why does Roxas keep cancelling your lessons?" I dropped my cookie and twitched.

"Namine." I gritted my teeth.

"Of course." she looked around the place for a bit. "Come to think of it, she's not here." I looked at the popular group's table and Olette was right; Namine wasn't there. In fact, she was nowhere in sight.

"Whatever. That's a good thing." I took a bite of my lunch.

"You sure about that? Because Roxas isn't there either." I nearly choked on my food. What? I took a peak at his table, looking for a familiar spiky blonde. Though all I saw was the redhead from before, a blonde with a mull-hawk, Sora Hikari and other people I don't think I've ever seen before.

If the two of them weren't there, then-

"Uh, Xion? Hellooo?" someone yelled into my ear. I snapped out of my thoughts and saw the one I was looking for in front of me. I sighed in relief.

"Huh? Oh, hi!" I said. "You're not here to cancel again, are you?"

"No, I was just making sure that you were coming." he scratched the back of his head.

"Don't worry, I'll be there." I smiled. "I promise."

* * *

><p><strong>ROXAS'S POV<strong>

"Bye, Roxas! See you tomorrow!" Namine said cheerfully. I waved bye to her and walked along the hallways with a huge smile on my face. Now with the project finished, I could eat sea salt ice cream while watching the bright sunset with Xion again!

With that happy thought in mind, I opened up my locker and shoved all my homework in my black and white checkered backpack.

"Huh? What's this?" I thought out loud, picking up a folded piece of paper that was on top of my math books. I unfolded it carefully and in black ink read:

_Roxas,_

_Meet me at Twilight Park at five._

_Let's have one lesson there for a change._

_-Xion_

Actually, a lesson at the park wouldn't be so bad. We could watch the sunset on top of a hill instead. I re-read the note a couple of times and flipped the paper around to make sure I didn't miss anything. When I was certain there wasn't anything else written on it, I stoppped searching and shoved the paper in my pocket.

Xion had really nice writing.

In fact, it looked a little bit like Namine's..

* * *

><p><strong>XION'S POV<strong>

I dashed out of the school as fast as I can, eager to get to skateboarding lessons. I was determined to beat Roxas there for once, so I brought my bag (with all my homework in it, of course) to class and ran out of the classroom right when the bell rang. I was finally out of the school grounds and started sprinting away.

"Xion!" someone yelled. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned my head a little to see my rival running towards me.

I grimaced and rudely asked, "What the heck do _you_ want?"

"I just want to tell you a few things." she said as she grabbed my wrist and started pulling me away. I could easily escape from her grasp, but I decided against it. I was actually really curious to what she had to say.

When we reached the cherry blossom trees, she let me go and faced me with a smile on her face. I massaged my wrist, scowling at the red fingernail marks.

"What are you smiling for?" I asked in confusion. I then realized that this was the same place Namine told me she loved Roxas. Oh no. Something bad is gonna happen. I'm sure of it. Because..why would she bring me here, of all places?

"Xion," she started. "You _do_ know why Roxas hasn't been coming to your skateboarding lessons, right?"

"Well, yeah. You two had a project together." she laughed.

"Wrong." she said, smirking. "You _still_ think that's the reason why? Didn't he tell you?"

"What are you saying..?"

"Roxas and I are together."

* * *

><p>So, how was this chapter? I find it better than the previous one..:) Oh, I'm starting school next Monday, so I might be updating late sometimes. It really annoys me when good stories are left unfinished, so I'm gonna finish this story no matter what! (Scroll down if you want to read the end of the day in Namine's POV)<p>

Please make my..night by reviewing! :)

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><p><strong>NAMINE'S POV<strong>

"I don't feel so good, can I just meet you guys outside?" I lied, pretending that I had a stomach ache. Kairi, Selphie and the others looked at me with worried faces.

"Do you want me to bring you to the nurse's office?" my best friend, Kairi, asked. I shook my head slowly.

"It's okay. I could get there by myself." I said, clutching my stomach. They all asked me if I was sure and such, in which I replied with a "Yes, don't worry." They soon gave in and headed outside. Once they all disappeared behind the door, I stood up straight and ran to my locker. I cut out a piece of paper, grabbed a pen and wrote down:

_Roxas,_

_Meet me at Twilight Park at five._

_Let's have one lesson there for a change._

_-Xion_

I folded the paper properly and slipped it into the pocket of my bag. Roxas and Xion are getting really close, if I slip this into Roxas's locker, Xion will go to their meeting place and Roxas won't even come. I walked over to Roxas's locker and stared at it for a good ten seconds. I hesitated before slipping it into his locker, then soon decided to do it in the end of the day. He might mention it to her if I slip it in now.

I decided to spend my lunch alone on the roof of the school, drawing because my friends might suspect something if I showed up perfectly fine.

* * *

><p>"Bye, Roxas! See you tomorrow!" I cheerfully said. He waved goodbye as I shouted "Yes!" in my head. I was able to slip the note into his locker without him or anyone he knows seeing me. With all my books already in my bag, I started to run through the noisy hallways of Twilight High. I had to find Xion before Roxas did.<p>

When I reached the front of the school, I saw a black dot in the distance. Silently praying that it was Xion, I started following the person. However, the person was way too fast, so I yelled, "Xion!"

The black-haired student stopped running and turned their head a little and grimaced. I approached them and fortunately, it _was _Xion.

"What the heck do _you _want?" she asked rather rudely.

"I just want to tell you a few things." I said once I catched my breath. I was so sure that she wouldn't follow me, so I grabbed her wrist and dragged her all the way to the cherry blossom trees. Surprisingly, she didn't complain nor struggled to escape from my strong hold on her. I then let go of her wrist, in which she examined and scowled at the marks I left.

"What are you smiling for?" she asked. Oh, you'll see, Xion Uchida.

"Xion," I began. "You _do_ know why Roxas hasn't been coming to your skateboarding lessons, right?"

"Well, yeah. You two had a project together." I laughed. It _was_ the truth, but that's not what I'm planning on telling her.

"Wrong." I said. "You still think that's the reason why? Didn't he tell you?"

"What are you saying..?" her blue eyes read two emotions; worry and confusion.

I knew for one thing that she loved Roxas and I was worried that Roxas loved her in return. He always talked about her; how funny she is, how much she's getting better at skateboarding, how they would always have so much fun together..A part of my heart shattered everytime he did so.

I was afraid that they would end up together, so I came up with a lie that would surely hurt Xion more than it would hurt me..

"Roxas and I are together."


	14. Confession

Crap. I hate updating after more than a week. :( School's getting in the way! And OMG, I already have so much homework. T-T My teachers are pure EVIL. *cries*

(Sudden change of mood) Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! They mean so much to me! :3 I never thought I'd get this many. O.O Sorry for the many changes of POV's, by the way..

* * *

><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 14

Confession

"Roxas and I are together." My eyes widened and I could swear I felt my heart break into pieces.

"What?" was all I could say. It can't be. It can't..

"You heard me." she smirked. "We have a date tonight. So, don't run home crying when he doesn't show up." she turned her back on me and started walking away. "I told you, Xion; I never lose." I watched the blonde walk into the distance, fighting the angry tears that were trying to escape from my eyes.

She was lying.

Roxas would never do that. He would've told me.

Telling myself over and over that she wasn't telling the truth, I started walking in the direction of home. Roxas will be there. We'll have our skateboarding lessons, then we'll eat some sea salt ice cream while watching the sunset, as always.

He'll be there..

He promised.

* * *

><p>I dropped my backpack by accident and watched my books scatter across the floor. I didn't even realize that it was open. Wow. I hurried over to my closet and threw on a yellow shirt, blue capris and a yellow headband. I ran down the stairs two by two, slipped on my converse and grabbed my skateboard. I slammed the door behind me and rolled all the way to Station Plaza.<p>

Surprisingly, once I arrived at my destination, Roxas wasn't there. I rolled over to the middle of the place and sat on my skateboard, just like Roxas when he waits for me. I finally beat him, haha! I did a short victory dance in my head and stared at the entrance of the plaza.

I listened to the sound of my watch. Tick, tick, tick, tick..

..Okay. Um, I guess I could call Olette.

I took out my cellphone and dialed her number quickly. After three rings, the brunette I was calling picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hi, it's me." I said.

"Oh, Xion, hey. What's up?" I heard some footsteps in the distance. Thinking it was Roxas, I looked up smiling, though my face fell when I saw Wakka, a boy from my school. Noticing me, he waved enthusiastically before entering the underground tunnel.

"I'm just waiting for Roxas, you?"

"He's not there yet? Isn't he usually the one there first?"

"Usually. Maybe he's just running late..or something."

"I guess. Hey, be sure to be at the buffet by seven, okay?"

"Sure," I checked my watch; five ten. Roxas, where are you? "Can we walk there together? I'll come over at around six forty five, maybe?"

"Alright. Hey, I gotta go, see you later. Bye!"

"Bye, 'Lette." I said as I hung up.

I continued staring at the entrance. Still no Roxas. I waited for another five minutes before getting up to buy some sea salt ice cream. Maybe he'll be there when I come back.

I rolled slowly to the marketplace of Twilight Town, hoping to buy some time. I hopped off my skateboard when I reached the ice cream stand and pulled out some munny.

"Two sea salt ice creams?" the woman asked automatically. I shook my head, smiling.

"Just one for today." I said.

"Your friend doesn't come anymore?" she asked, handing me my usual snack.

"He's going to be a little late this afternoon." I dropped the munny on the counter and walked back the plaza, in case I ended up falling off my skateboard and dropping my ice cream.

A frown found its way to my face when I saw no one there. I sat on the steps leading to the entrance of the train station and took a lick of the ice cream. My face twisted slightly at the taste.

Funny. Somehow, it tasted..saltier.

* * *

><p><strong>ROXAS'S POV<strong>

I checked my watch for the umpteenth time. Five twenty ni- thirty.

Maybe she wasn't coming. Was it something I did? Was she mad at me? I know I wasn't able to come the past four days, but she didn't look mad when I talked to her at lunch.

"Roxas?" a soft voice asked. Thinking it was Xion, my face brightened as I swiftly turned my head. However, much to my disappointment, it wasn't the black-haired girl I was waiting for.

"Oh. Namine." I turned away slowly.

"Uh, sorry to be a disappointment." she said, sitting next to me.

"No, I..didn't mean it that way."

"Well, what's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I'm just waiting for Xion, that's all."

"I thought you two didn't have lessons on Fridays..?"

"It's to make up for the days I wasn't able to come. I wanted to bring her someplace special, too."

Namine didn't say anything after that. We just sat there, at the park, staring blankly at the orange-red sky. I was half-expecting Namine to say something to break the awkward silence between us, but she never did. Guess it's my turn.

"So..what brings you here?" I asked, looking at her.

"I was walking home from school and saw you here. I thought you could need some company. You looked a little sad from afar." she said, smiling.

"Why'd you leave so late?"

"After school activities. I'm in the Art club, remember?" she giggled.

"Oh, right." I scratched the back of my head. I took a glance at my watch. Five forty. I guess Xion isn't coming after all.. "Hey, Namine? I gotta go. See you on Monday." I hopped onto my skateboard and started rolling away slowly.

"Roxas." I stopped immediately and turned around to face the blonde.

"Yeah?" she approached me and stared sadly into my blue eyes.

"I-I've been wanting to tell you something..Something really important." she said. "I..Roxas..I-"

"What is it?" she took one step closer to me, until our faces were inches apart.

"I love you, Roxas." she stood on her tippy toes and gently placed a kiss on my lips.

* * *

><p><strong>XION'S POV<strong>

I threw away my ice cream stick and walked in the direction of Olette's house. I guess I'll be arriving earlier than planned. I kicked a few pebbles every now and then, trying my best not to cry. Maybe Namine wasn't lying. Maybe they really were together. A tear slid down my cheek at the very thought of it.

I was walking by the park, but stopped dead in my tracks when I saw two familiar people.

Roxas and..Namine.

I was about to walk over and ask Roxas why he stood me up, but I froze in place at the scene right before my eyes. My heart shattered to pieces. The tears escaped from my eyes as they cascaded down my face. I wiped them away, but they wouldn't stop falling. Roxas and Namine..were kissing.

I turned around and ran in the direction of Olette's house. I needed my best friend. Right now. I finally saw the cream-colored house a couple of meters away, so I sprinted and punched the doorbell, waiting for Olette to answer already. When she did, however, her smiling face turned into one of worry.

"Xion! Oh, my gosh, what happened?" she asked, pulling me in gently. She lead me into her orange room, which was perfectly clean and tiddy, as always. I sat on her bed and the brunette reached into a drawer, pulling out a tissue box. She handed it to me with that worried look permanently pasted on her face.

"So, what happened?" she asked when I calmed down, sitting next to me. I explained everything to her; about that day Namine asked me to help her and Roxas get together, that night at the cafe..

"You..really do love Roxas, don't you?" she asked.

"I..yeah. I do." I admitted. I saw a sparkle in her eyes and I could tell she was trying her best not to jump up, hug me and do a victory dance.

Stupid feelings.

Stupid Roxas.

Olette's ringtone went off. She pulled out her orange phone and held it up to her ear.

"Hayner? Sorry, Xion and I can't make it tonight." A faint "_Aw, 'kay then. See ya._" was heard before she shut her phone.

"I'm sorry for ruining your night," I said suddenly. "You were really looking forward to it."

"Xion, I could care less about the buffet. You really need a friend right now." she hugged me.

"Thanks, Olette."

* * *

><p><strong>ROXAS'S POV<strong>

_What happened after Xion ran away.._

When the moment sunk in, I gently pushed Namine away from me. She looked at me with watery eyes. I avoided eye contact; I hated seeing people cry, especially when it was because of me.

"Roxas.." she whispered. I bit my lower lip.

"Namine, I'm sorry, but..I only like you as a friend." I said slowly. I looked up a bit and saw a few tears run down her cheeks.

"I understand," she replied. "You're in love with someone." I blushed.

"How did you..?"

"I _know_ you, Roxas. I could tell with one look." she allowed her lips to curve into a small smile. "It's Xion, right?" my whole face became hot. I nodded.

"I'm sorry, Namine. It's just.."

"Tell me. Why are you in love with someone like..her?" she half-spat out.

"She's different from all the other girls. That's what makes her really special to m-" I stopped when new tears escaped from her violet eyes.

"I've always loved you, Roxas. Ever since middle school." she sniffled. "Even until now, I tried to become the kind of girl you loved. And it really hurts to know..that you will never love me."

"Namine, I-I'm sorry.."

"Don't worry about it." she started walking away. "Goodbye, Roxas."

* * *

><p>ARGH. TOO SHORT. I'M SORRY. :(<p>

I'll try to make the next chapter longer, I promise. Please forgive meh! TT^TT Reviews are welcomed, but you don't need to, since this was a crappy chapter..


	15. Ignorance

Woah, it's already been a month since I last updated! (To be honest, I almost forgot I had an ongoing story, LOL.) I am really sorry for the long wait, school keeps getting in the way. D; FREAKING TEACHERS. WE HAVE A LIFE, YA KNOW? I have like, 938386 pages of homework everyday, but that's high school for you. T_T PLUS, I haven't played Kingdom Hearts in three weeks! It's killing me. That's the longest I haven't played so far, LOL. Because..when I bought the game for the very first time, I promised myself that I'd complete the game 99 times, both KH1 and KH2. xD CoM is my least favorite, so I stopped after I played it three times. :/ OKAY. SORRY, I'M GETTING CARRIED AWAY, HAHA!

WOAH. 153 reviews? Thank you all so much! I feel like crying of happiness right now. TTwTT I've had a few questions about reviews, so I will speak for all of you. YES, I DO READ REVIEWS. I may not answer most of them, but all of you should know that I do read them and they mean so much to me. So, thank you all so much! *hearts*

* * *

><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 15

Ignorance

"Stupid jerk." I mumbled, kicking pebbles as I walked along the road. I glared daggers at the ground.

He said he'd be there.

He promised.

Then, he stood me up for Namine.

What the heck was he trying to do?

"Xion!" a voice exclaimed from behind me. I turned my head and oh, it was Roxas. Speak of the devil. He then ran in front of me and stopped me in my tracks. "Xion, where were you last.." I lifted up my hand and slapped his cheek with all my strength. He stumbled backwards and placed a hand over his red cheek.

"Where was I? Where were you? You promised you'd be there, you said you'd come and nothing would stop you! But, instead you were with..!" I screamed, tears escaping my eyes.

"Xion.."

"I don't want to hear it." I said before running away from him.

I can't believe I actually thought he cared about me.

When I reached the school grounds, I saw Olette waiting for me by the entrance. Thank goodness the guys weren't there. Even though it would be funny as heck to listen to them talk about how they'll beat Roxas up. I quickened my pace and stared at the brunette as salty tears were beginning to blind my vision. I furiously wiped them away and took a deep breath.

"Bumped into him?" she asked with a hint of worry in her voice. I nodded.

"Yeah. He even asked me why I wa-" Roxas must've been behind us, since she hastily pulled me into the building.

We walked down the endless corridor, bumping into familiar faces along the way. A few people tried to start a conversation with us, but all Olette did was walk right past them, competely ignoring whoever it was. I gave each one of them an apologetic look, in which they waved, smirked or shrugged in reply.

Our first period class soon came into view, thankfully. Olette's grip on my wrist was so tight, I swear I felt a vein explode. She released my wrist when we entered the small room and turned to face me, smiling.

"Sorry, the heat was starting to give me a headache." she said as I rubbed my aching wrist. Olette, you are such a bad liar.

"Of course. And spiky-haired blondes do, too." I rolled my eyes.

"..You saw him?"

"Well, the expression on your face made it pret-ty obvious."

"I'm sorry, Shi. It's just that- He stood you up and- For Namine, of all people! And- Ugh! That stupid piece of sh-" she babbled before being interrupted by the final bell.

Everyone in the classroom scrambled to their seats; some idiots who were planking on desks fell off to rush to their respective places, the techno-geeks hid their PSP's or whatever, the bookworms shoved their book back into their bag, while others were already in their seats, waiting for the course to start already. The teacher, who was watching the whole scene, facepalmed.

Since school was going to finish in just a few weeks, our sensei gave us exercises that would, apparently, help us during the final exams. I answered about fifteen questions before sinking into my seat and staring into space. I really don't feel like doing this right now. It's freaking Monday morning.

And I already know that today's gonna be a crappy day.

A scrunched up ball of paper hit the side of my head, snapping me out of my thoughts. I swiftly picked up the paper before the teacher would see. I opened it up to find a drawing of Roxas and Namine kissing while I was in a rejected pose, crying rivers. On the bottom left of the page was signed, 'Namine' in cursive. I turned to the pale blonde, who gave me an evil smile, and mouthed the inappropriate F word. She rolled her eyes and continued her work.

Throughout the whole class, Namine kept throwing paper balls at me. She even threw at paper airplane once, which almost killed me by stabbing me in the eye. Each drawing was a disgusting drawing of the two blondes making out, hugging or whatever while I was usually drawn crying, hanged or dead. Man, what the fudge? He's already hers, what more does she want from me? Another paper ball hit the side of my head. Not even daring to open it up, I threw it under my desk, where the others were piled up. Geez, I could make a castle out of these.

By the end of class, I finished about a page and a half of work, which earned me extra homework for tonight. How wonderful.

I picked up the papers she threw at me and dropped them into the recycling bin. I turned around, only to see my sensei looking at me with the word 'confused' written all over his face.

"What are th-"

"Nothing," I replied in a monotone. He walked over to the flood of papers and picked one up from the bin. His eyes stared at it in curiosity.

"Let's see what's in here.." he said to himself.

"By the way, sensei." I said loudly. "I wouldn't open it up if I were you." he set the paper ball back into its previous place.

Ugh. What a nosy teacher.

Olette had Math next, so she we had to go our seperate ways. While on my way to my locker, I tripped on something and all the things I was carrying flew right out of my hands. People pointed at me and laughed at me, especially the seniors, while I angrily picked up my things. I turned around, in hope of seeing who tripped me, just in time to see a girl with medium-length blonde hair running away. I growled.

What a witch. With a capital B.

* * *

><p>I walked towards my Japanese class (a class with Namine and Roxas, ugh.) as a spiky blonde bumped into me.<p>

"Roxas! You jerk! You did that on p-" the boy turned to look at me. I stared into his cerulean eyes, seeing innocence and confusion in them. "Oh, Ven! Sorry, I thought you were Roxas."

"Hey, you could actually tell us apart." he laughed sympathetically. "Well..see ya!" he ran off, smiling.

I still can't bring myself to believe that they're not related.

I walked into Japanese class, only to be greeted by Roxas himself.

"Hey, Xion. I.." I walked right past him and went over to my seat by the window.

I looked out the window, staring at the deep blue sky with a blank expression on my face. I heard someone- Roxas, obviously- pull up the chair beside me and heard a few shuffling and scribbling noises. The blue sky before me soon disappeared and a poorly drawn picture of a black-haired girl and a blonde sitting on what was supposed to be a clock tower appeared before me. Under the picture said, "Ice cream?" I snatched the drawing out of his hands and took out a black Sharpie, popping the top off. Underneath his note, I wrote, "NO. HAVE FUN EATING ALL BY YOURSELF FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS." I slipped the paper onto his desk and watched him flip it around. His face fell and he turned to face me, frowning. I glared perfectly sharpened daggers at him. He sunk into his chair and sighed heavily.

All class, I saw him glance my way in the corner of my eye. I was half-expecting him to throw notes at me, which I would've ripped into pieces, but instead, he threw pens at me and held up a drawing of us together. Having enough of this, I scribbled on a piece of paper and threw a black pen at him. He looked at me, smiling, but it quickly disappeared and was replaced by a frown. After that, he didn't throw anything at me for the rest of the class.

Okay, maybe I'm being too mean..

Whatever.

He deserved it.

Finally, after a thousand centuries passed, Japanese class ended. I piled up all my stuff and saw Roxas waiting for me. I started walking in the direction of my locker, hearing his light footsteps behind me. I suddenly stopped, causing him to almost bump into me, and turned around.

"Please go away." I said in a monotone.

"Can't you just tell me why you're so mad?"

"Quit playing dumb. I know you're not this dense."

"I'm telling you the truth, I was there on Friday. You weren't. I waited forty minutes and you never showed up."

"Of course you were." I said, walking off.

* * *

><p>It went on for four days.<p>

I didn't talk to him and avoided him the whole time. He tried to apologize by buying me chocolates (which I gobbled up in two seconds and hit him over the head with the box), horribly drawn pictures of us and sea salt ice cream. And guess what? It's still not good enough for me.

I finally managed to open up my locker and in it was a bouquet of flowers along with a note attached to it. I grabbed the small piece of paper and scowled when I saw who it was from.

**-Roxas**

Psh. How cliche.

"Geez, you're such a stalker." I heard from afar. In the corner of my eye, I saw a tinge of red and blonde. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my bento, ripped the note in half and slammed my locker shut.

The heck was he trying to do? He already had a girlfriend.

What a jerk.

I walked past him, resisting the urge to punch him in the gut or kick him in a place I don't even want to mention. Soon enough, I met up with the gang at our lunch table and sat next to Vanitas, who was currently playing a PSP.

"Woah. This is the first time in _years_ since you last touched that thing!" I exclaimed, making a huge deal about it to annoy him. "What's the special occasion?"

With his eyes glued to the play station portable, he replied, "This new game came out." Since his gravity-defying black hair was blocking my view, I scooted closer to him to get a good view of the game.

"What's it called?" I asked, moving my head forward.

"Kingdom of Hearts: Birth by Awakening." (A/N : As much as it annoys me when wannabe fans call it that. THERE IS NO 'OF'! Dx) After a good ten seconds, he spoke, "Your hair is tickling my neck." Shrugging, I moved away and started eating my homemade lunch. And I'll have to be sacrificing my stomach because I admit I'm not the best cook in the world. I took one bite out of it, expecting it to taste horrible, but it wasn't _that_ bad, surprisingly.

After listening to Hayner's _false_ complaints on how girls were extremely confusing, short-tempered and sensitive (which earned him a beating from Olette and I), a soft and relaxing tune escaped from Vanitas's PSP.

"That song is really nice," I said out loud.

"Huh? Yeah, I know." The graceful melody went on, as if it was never-ending, and crystal-like laughter soon joined in.

"What's it called?"

"At Dusk, I Will Think of You."

My lips curved into a smile when I heard the name of the wonderful piece.

"Aww! That's so cute!" Olette chirped. I nodded in agreement and scooted closer to see what was happening in the game. Three people, two boys and one girl to be precise, were sitting on a hill laughing, while watching the sunset in the distance.

_"Hey, guys. Bet you don't know why the sun sets red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest." the one on the left said proudly._

_"Like we asked!" the girl exclaimed._

_"Know-it-all!" the other boy teased._

_The trio laughed softly and the cutscene faded, allowing Vanitas to continue his quest._

I moved back to my previous spot and frowned.

The cutscene reminded me so much about Roxas and I after every lesson.

"Hey, Xion? Is there anything wrong?" Pence asked with his mouth full. I looked up and pulled on a fake smile.

"Nope, and don't talk with your mouth full." I giggled. "What time is it?" Olette checked her watch.

"Oh, it's-"

"ADVENTURE TIME!" Hayner exclaimed.

"Don't you ever shut up?" Olette sighed in annoyance before turning back to her white watch. "It's one..twenty five.."

Silence.

Oh, fudge.

"WE'RE LATE!"

* * *

><p>We all ran through the hallways as fast as we could, each of us going in different directions.<p>

"What are you guys doing!" Olette yelled at us.

"Going to our lockers! I don't even know what I have right now!" I yelled, about to resume my running.

"We have Music right now." The boys and I blinked.

"Ooooooh." we all, excluding Olette, said in unison. We all headed towards the same direction happily.

Well, the good news is that we're all together. The bad news is we were all yelled at and Hayner's attitude didn't make the situation any better.

"Why are you all late?" the Music teacher asked. She stomped her foot and had her arms crossed over her chest.

"Well, um, because.." Olette began.

"Because the bell rang before we got here. Obviously." Hayner said, rolling his eyes. Half of the class smirked.

"Don't give me attitude! This is the third time this week, I am this close to calling your mothers!"

"..Tell her I said hi!" Hayner grinned as the whole class erupted in laughter. Without another word, she returned to her desk and sighed heavily. Hayner mimicked her as the whole class kept laughing. Olette elbowed him.

"Okay, Hayner. I think that's enough." the brunette said. "I know you hate her and all, but she probably had a bad day already."

"..Fine," he mumbled. "Sorry, sensei." he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked to our table as we all followed behind him. Right when we sat down, the thick silence disappeared and everyone went back to their conversations.

"Did someone here bring cards or something..?" Pence asked.

"I brang my PSP," Vanitas held up. Hayner was reaching for it, but the raven-haired boy slapped his hand away. "No. Back off." he turned it on and continued his adventure or whatever.

"We could play truth or dare." Pence suggested.

"Too old." Hayner said.

"Broken telephone?"

"What are we- five?"

"M.A.S.H.?"

"Oh! Let's play that!" Olette cheered, snatching a paper and a pen from her bag. "Let's start with Vanitas's future!" Vanitas looked up and twitched.

"No." he said.

"YES!" she exclaimed, scribbling on the piece of paper. After a long series of suggestions and laughs, we finally made the choices: his future wife will either be Olette, Larxene, Kairi or I. He'll either have one baby, thirteen babies, one thousand babies or none. For his career, he'll either be a daycare teacher, a model, a plumber or a pornstar. And of course, he'll either live in a mansion, apartment, shack or house.

In the end, he married Larxene, had a thousand babies, lived in an apartment and he's a pornstar.

We all burst out laughing, earning a few stares from the people around us and a death glare from Vanitas.

"Chill, it's just a joke. It's not like it's really gonna happen," Hayner smirked. "Unless you want it to." Olette and I giggled.

"Okay, your turn." he popped the top off of Olette's pen and wrote Hayner's name on the paper. After a brief moment, Vanitas revealed the paper. Hayner married the Music teacher, had a million babies in which HAYNER gave birth to, is a plumber and lived in a sewer. Olette, Pence and I laughed until our sides were sore, Vanitas smiled evilly and Hayner glared.

"Chill, it's just a joke. It's not like it's really gonna happen," he mimicked Hayner's voice. "Unless you want it to." Hayner scratched his head furiously, as if it was full of fleas and took the paper.

"Sewer isn't even in there!"

"Ah ah ah!" Vanitas waved a finger in the air. "M.A.S.H. Sewer starts with an 'S'!"

"Whatever. Let's do Xion's future now!" Ugh.

"Hmm..four guys." Hayner thought. "Seifer, Rai..Xigbar and-"

"Roxas." Vanitas smirked.

My heart skipped a beat.

They decided everything in just a few seconds and Hayner was already scratching off some words. In the end, I am a kindergarden teacher, had three babies, lived in a house and married..Roxas.

"Hey, you know, your future isn't that bad." Pence said.

"Everything's fine except for my _husband_! I don't wanna marry an asshole like him!" I yelled. Everyone's eyes widened. "What?" Hayner pointed a finger behind me. Oh, no. I turned my head around to see a blone with a hurt look on his face. "R-Roxas! You- Oh, my gosh! I didn't m-"

I looked into his eyes; they weren't filled with happiness and liveliness anymore. Instead, they were were filled with hurt and sadness. He smiled sadly and returned to his table.

"Roxas.." I whispered.

* * *

><p>Later that day, when school finished, I decided to apologize to Roxas.<p>

I saw him by the cherry blossom trees with his back turned, and with a deep breath, I walked towards him. I was one meter away from tapping him on the shoulder when someone pulled me away. The person had blonde hair and a part of their golden locks was draped over one shoulder. Namine. She dragged me all the way to the garden in the back of the school.

"Geez, what do you want _now_, Namine?" I glared.

"I wanted to tell you something." she said. "It's about Roxas."

* * *

><p><strong><em>P L E A S E . R E A D !<em>**

OH, MY GOSH. I FINALLY WROTE A CHAPTER WITH THREE THOUSAND WORDS! And it took me like, two hours. xD Another thing; I have three events in mind for this story. But, I want to remove one of them. Please review on which two I should keep and which one I should remove!

~ Starry Skies Festival; A Japanese festival with booths, fireworks and they will have to wear yukatas or cosplay as an anime character.

~ Trip to the Beach; The whole gang goes to the beach and see Roxas there/invite Roxas to go with them. Seashells, ice cream, sunset and maybe Paopu fruit.

~ Roxas/Xion's Birthday; Roxas gives a very special gift to Xion/Xion gives a very special gift to Roxas.

Please review! ^^


	16. Apology

FINALLY, AN UPDATE! Sorry for the long wait. :/ At least you guys haven't waited for a month again, right..? Hehee.. Um. This chapter was finished hours ago, but I somehow ended up on Youtube and.. ALMOST cried.. BECAUSE DEMYX TIME IS OVER! D; For those of you that have no idea what it is, it's pretty epic. It's really funny and entertaining! I don't get how people think it's boring. :O Oh-kay, I will stop myself from saying anything else or the author's note will be extrememly long and boring. xD

Thank you, thank you, thank you, _soooo_ much for the reviews! *hearts* I'm almost at 200, you guys have no idea how much this made me happy. TTwTT One more thing; I've counted the votes. The birthday will be taken out, so sorry for those of you who really wanted it in there..

* * *

><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 16

Apology

"Look, I already know you two are together, so there's no point in rubbing it in." I said, rolling my eyes. I wanted to add a word after I said that, a word that rhymed with 'witch', but stopped my short-tempered self in doing so.

"Xion, I-I wanted to tell you the truth." she said quietly.

"The truth about what?" Come on, say it already. I don't have all day!

The blonde girl took a deep breath and turned around to face me. Her face perfectly read the words guilty, sad, defeated and jealous. What the heck, did I do anything wrong..?

"Roxas and I aren't together," she started, looking on the ground. "I-I felt my heart shatter to pieces when I found out who he loved. And it hurt even more when he rejected me. I couldn't accept it; I couldn't lose to her," she swallowed, fighting the tears that were trying to escape her violet eyes. "Didn't you realize? It's you, Xion. You're the one Roxas loves."

Roxas.. loves.. me? No way, this is just one of her tricks.. right?

"Namine, please don't joke around. Roxas is a sensitive topic to ta-"

"I'm not lying!" she yelled in all seriousness as the tears poured down her face. "H-He loves you. And I knew that he would never love me, so I did everything I could to make him hate you. Remember those rumors about your friends? And that whole week he didn't come to your lessons? All of that was me."

I froze. She was the cause of all my suffering.

"I lied to him about some project I needed help in and him being so sweet and caring, said yes. And last Friday, he didn't show up because I stuck a note in his locker that said to meet you at the park. I came to the park that day to confess to him and that was when he rejected me," she sniffed. "And this past week, he looked so miserable, as if his whole world fell apart, because you were ignoring him. I thought it would've made me happy since he would be known as off-limits to you, but instead, it hurt me more that I caused so much pain to the one I loved. And here we are now." she looked down, avoiding eye contact. "Xion, I-I'm sorry. It's said so many times these days it's lost its meaning, but I mean it with all my heart, I'm sorry."

I remained silent, trying to sink it all in. Namine Takahara, the school's most popular, sweetest and cutest girl, did all of this to me.

"You were the cause of all of this," I stated. "You have no idea how much pain I've been through because of your cruel self. I always thought you were kind, but deep inside you're just one of those fake, envious, selfish bastards that try to ruin people's lives so that you could get what you want. I can't believe you!"

"Xion, I.."

"But, then again- you actually had the guts to tell all of this to me face to face," I said. "So, I forgive you." I _was_ gonna punch her in the face, but that wouldn't be the wisest thing to do. Besides, I'd have to forgive her eventually.

"Thank you. You really do deserve Roxas." she smiled sadly. "And you should rush home to get changed and all. Roxas is waiting for you at the clock tower."

"How do you know?"

"He goes there everyday after school and waits for you." my cheeks felt warm all of a sudden. "Hurry there. Don't keep him waiting." I nodded.

"Hey, Namine?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you." I smiled before running off.

I didn't want to lose any time at all, so I ran straight to Station Plaza. I ran up the endless flight of stairs rapidly and shoved the door open. Much to my disappointment, the spiky-haired blonde I was expecting to find wasn't there. I checked my watch. Four fifty one. It's still a bit early, might as well wait for a bit.

I admired the orange-red sky above me and the sunset that began to descend slowly in the distance. How long has it been since the two of us were up here? Two weeks, more? It's been so long. My stomach grumbled suddenly. Dang it, I should've bought some ice cream before I c-

"Xion..?" I smiled from ear to ear when the person I was waiting for had finally arrived. Without hesitation, I stood up and ran into his arms, almost making him fall over.

"Roxas.." I whispered, then released him from my death hug.

"You.. You actually came.." he whispered. "Why did you suddenly decide to come after this whole week?"

"Well, you see.. Namine told me everything about-"

"Everything about what?" he asked with a look of confusion.

"That she's the one who- Oh, forget it," I said. Phew, thank goodness I stopped my big mouth. Namine just apologized to me, I didn't want to make her look mean and heartless in the eyes of the one she loved.. even if she tried to do that to me.. "Just, well.. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions and for being mean and ignoring you; you didn't deserve it.. Roxas, I-I'm sorry for everyth.." I was then interrupted by him hugging me this time.

"It's okay." he said. "I'm just happy it's all over." I hugged him back. He smelled.. really good. Realizing that we were still hugging, I jumped back a meter with my whole face hot. In silence, we both walked over to the edge of the clock tower and sat down, looking out in the distance. My stomach suddenly grumbled.

"Someone's hungry, I see," he smirked, reaching into a plastic bag. "Here you go. You're lucky I bought two."

LE GASP. A sea salt ice cream! HALLELUJAH!

I snatched the delicious treat out of his hands, my eyes sparkling slightly, and gobbled it up in less than a minute. Roxas stared at me awkwardly.

"Wow. That was.. very-"

"Awesome, I know." I giggled, trying to ignore the brain freeze that was currently killing my brain. A warm, gentle breeze travelled all around us as the sound of giggling resounded in the little town.

"It's been so long since we were here, huh?" Roxas asked, smiling.

"Yeah.." was all I could say.

Because the only thing that mattered right now was that Roxas was here.

And all afternoon, the beautiful melody, At Dusk, I Will Think of You softly played in my head.

* * *

><p>I hummed a catchy tune while throwing my uniform on the next morning. After Namine told me the truth about everything and when Roxas and I made up, a sudden explosion of happiness filled my body. All my sadness and anger was washed away completely. My backpack slung over my shoulder, I examined myself in the mirror and turned to my right to check the time. Hey, I'm actually gonna be early for once.<p>

Grabbing my skateboard and my small breakfast, I dashed out the door and rolled away. It's been so long since my last skateboarding lesson that I forgot most of the things I've learned. Yes, I know my memory is horrible.

"Xion? Where are you going this early in the morning?" my mom asked, sipping her coffee.

"School, as always!" I said. Obviously, I mean, it's Friday. It's not the weekend yet.

I passed by the several cream-colored houses along the way to school, not seeing any familiar faces from Twilight High. Am I too early? Did I miss Daylight Savings Time?..What am I talking about, that was months ago.

When the school gate was finally in view, I sped up only to see an empty lot. I stood in the middle of the gate with a look of confusion pasted on my face. Where the heck is everyone? I pulled out my phone and called Olette, who was on speed dial number one.

BEEP.. BEEP.. BEEP.. BEEP.. BEEP.. BEEP..

Voicemail.

Weird, she _always_ answers her phone. I then hung up and called Vanitas this time, speed dial number two.

BEEP.. BEEP.. BEEP.. BEEP.. BE-

"WHY ARE YOU CALLING THIS EARLY?" he yelled loudly, scaring the crap out of me.

"WOAH, calm down, Vani," I said, clutching my chest. "And why aren't you at school? Why isn't anyone at school?"

"What are you talking about?" he yawned.

"Hello, it's Friday. There's school, genius." I heard a faint slap on the other end.

"You idiot! It's Saturday!"

..Oh.

"Are you serious?" I twitched.

"YES!" he hung up.

Someone's _clearly_ not morning person.

I shoved my cellphone back into my pocket and turned around to skate back home. I guess I'm not used to having lessons on Friday's.. or something. Geez, what an epic fail. I heard a few giggles behind me and a few whispers, but I shook it off. While passing by the same houses from earlier, I made a quick turn and rolled down the streets to get to the tiny shop that sold delicious food. We were out of cake and dumplings, and I absolutely needed some. Now. I entered the tiny place and looked around for the things I needed. However, since I'm accident-prone or in other words, clumsy, about five boxes of cookies fell when I went to grab a bag of brownies. I quickly picked them up and placed them in their previous spot, when another three boxes fell.

"Xion?"

"Huh? Oh! Hiya, Roxas." As expected, another box of cookies fell. The blonde helped me place the cookies back in their rightful place. "Thanks. So, what're you doing this early in the morning?"

"Getting some bread and stuff for my mom." he held up two grocery bags. "Um, just wanted to know.. Why are you in your uniform?" I sweatdropped.

"Aha, you see, I thought yesterday was Thursday because I wasn't used to having lessons on Friday's. And when I went to school, the lot was empty and then I called Olette, but she didn't answer. So, I called Vanitas and-"

"Okay, I get it," he chuckled. "You're buying food, too, right? Hurry up then, we could walk together." I simply nodded.

I bought the food that I was desperately craving for and ran out of the shop to meet up with him. We walked (well, I rolled) in silence and soon enough, we were back at my place.

"Well, s-see you on Monday." I said awkwardly. I picked up my skateboard and walked up to my white porch, feeling Roxas's eyes on my back. I shoved the key into the keyhole and took one step inside, until..

"Xion!" I quickly turned around. "I, um, are you doing anything today?" I shook my head, hoping that he would want to hang out or something. Please, please, please.. "You wanna go to.. the amusement park.. together?" My eyes sparkled.

"Sure!" I said simply, though I was jumping and screaming inside. "I'll go get changed and you could come back once you bring your groceries back home." He nodded.

I closed the door and walked into the kitchen to place the food on the counter. I took out a cupcake and stuffed it in my mouth, sighing in satisfaction. Once I swallowed, I ran up the stairs two by two and forcefully pushed my door open, causing a loud 'SLAM!'.

"What's going on there?" my dad yelled, rather irritated.

"Nothing! Sorry about that!" I apologized. I dug through my closet, trying to find something clean to wear. After about a minute or so, I decided to wear a purple off the shoulder shirt, a black tank top underneath along with black capris. Hey, come on. I'm not like Olette; I mean, I wouldn't waste two hours of my life (that I could never get back) trying to look for something decent to wear.

I ran down the stairs and threw on some worn-out converse before dashing out the door to meet up with Roxas outside.

"You excited?" he asked. Psh, what kind of question is that?

"Of course I am!" I exclaimed. "I haven't been there in months!" Okay, I lied. The only reason I'm excited is because it'll only be Roxas and I. No one else.

We walked along the sidewalk, deciding on which rides we to go on once we arrived. He suggested the tallest roller coaster in the whole amusement park first, in which I disagreed. I lost a bet against Hayner one time and was forced to ride it. And, oho, I will NEVER ride it ever again.

There were lots of people there, as usual, and the lines were super long. We waited for about thirty minutes, more or less, so once we took a step inside, we immediately ran to the new, fastest roller coaster there. We were on the third cart, eager for the ride to start already. Finally, the cart started moving as Roxas and I threw our hands up in the air. It went higher and higher; we were almost at the top of the first drop. And, then..

"OH, MY FREAKING G- AHHHH!" I screamed when we descended the first, really steep and extremely fast, drop. Roxas laughed the whole way, while I screamed in terror, as if there was a psycho murderer chasing after me.

By the end of the ride, I was extremely glad it was over, while Roxas wanted to go again. Aha, maybe later.. Maybe. Probably not.

Roxas tricked me into going on the roller coaster he mentioned while walking, which earned him a hard bash on the head from my mallet (which came from subspace, mind you). Afterwards, when we were on our way to a ride with lots of loops, a game caught Roxas's eye.

"Darts?" I asked.

"Hey, I love darts!" he exclaimed, handing the owner of the booth some munny. Hayner loves darts, too. They'd get along pretty well. "It'll only take a minute. Oh, anything you want from there?" I scanned the stuffed toys, one by one.

"Hmm, not really."

"Okay, then. 'Cause I really want that black bunny."

"Haha, really? Why?" I giggled.

"Because it looks like you." he shot three darts at the same time and each of them popped two balloons. When he was holding onto the bunny, I examined it.

"This looks like.. me?" I twitched. It was cute, but it looked like it was a scowling.. or frowning.. or something..

"Well, a little. When you pout. You look really funny when you do," he smiled sheepishly. "Can you hold it, though? It's kinda embarassing for a guy to be holding stuff like this." He handed the toy to me, which I hugged against my chest.

We then continued our way to the roller coaster as I smiled, clutching the bunny tighter. When the sun was starting to set, we left the amusement park smiling while eating some pink coton candy.

"It was really fun today." I grinned, looking up at him.

"Yeah, it really was," he scratched the back of his head, though his hand retreated suddenly. "Ow!" I laughed.

"Sorry for hitting you with my mallet," I apologized. "Even though you deserved it.."

"But, you didn't have to hit so hard!"

"Hey! If you never tricked me into going on that ride, I wouldn't have hit you!" he opened his mouth, then closed it when nothing came out.

"True.. Sorry, it's just, I _really_ wanted to go on that ride, but you were too much of a _baby_, so.." I twitched at the baby comment.

"I get it, I get it," I said, waving my hand up and down. "Anyways.. as I was saying, I had a really good time.. We should hang out again some other time. See you on Monday, Roxas." I smiled and stopped when I saw my house from the corner of my eye. I handed him the stuffed toy I held the whole time.

"See ya, Xion." he smiled before walking in the direction of his house.

I entered the house and ran up to my room, smiling like an idiot. I know it wasn't a date or anything, but it meant a whole lot to me. No one popped out of nowhere to tag along with us, no one called our phones to get us to leave early.. there weren't any interruptions whatsoever; nothing. I closed my eyes, smiling, while hugging my purple pillow.

Today.. was absolutely.. perfect.

* * *

><p>YUSH. THREE THOUSAND WORDS AGAIN!<p>

For those of you who read my author's notes, would you like next chapter to be a typical chapter or would you like to read a few things from Namine's POV? Like, how she felt when Roxas rejected her and all.

Another thing; pairing requests? :) I could give a few hints here and there (especially at a certain event..*wink*).

See you guys until next chapter!


	17. Reasons

..Why did some of you take this story off of your alerts? D: I'm sorry for updating late, but I promise you all that I will not abandon this story! *pinky swears* Well, this is more of a filler chapter, which is why it's pretty short and it's kinda like a journal entry of some sort. It's in Namine's POV, by the way. There will be a "~" and the title of the chapters in order, because she talks about how she felt during each of them.

I have no idea how this popped into my mind, but have you guys ever heard of the Kingdom Hearts 3DS Imagined - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Field and Battle Music) by BlueNctrn on Youtube? It's so EPIC. I love that movie, and listening to it sent chills down my spine!

You know, you guys are the best people in the world, thank you thank you thank you so much for the reviews! :D

* * *

><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 17

Reasons

The way Roxas's eyes twinkled in her presence.. just the way he looked at her.. it hurt so much, knowing that he would never look at me that way.

We were friends; really good friends, actually. We could talk for hours non-stop, we could laugh at something that isn't even funny, we could tell each other anything.. Friends, but that's all we'll ever be.

I'm not trying to sound melodramatic or depressed, really. Besides, everyone has to go through this at least once in their life.. right?

* * *

><p>~ One Chance<p>

I remember how happy he looked when he told me he would be teaching Xion how to skateboard for the first time. He always admired her from afar before they even officially met.

She was, and still is, the number one basketball player in the girls'. At every game, he would be there, watching her every move. The way she ran across the gym, how happy and proud she looked whenever she made a goal and that smirk she made whenever she showed off (pfft, and she calls Roxas one).

He would watch her in class as well. The way her hand gracefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, that far-off look in her eyes each time she took a glance at the endless blue sky..

Everything she did captivated him.

~ Lesson One

Before Xion came into the picture, Roxas and I would go to each other's houses at least two times a week after school. Whether it was for school or just to hang out. And now, we hang out once every two weeks because of their skateboarding lessons.

~ Weekly Plans

I've been wanting to hang out with Roxas every Friday, but he was always busy.

"Sorry, Namine. I'm watching a movie with Sora and everyone else." or "Maybe some other time, I have lessons with Xion tonight." Excuse after excuse, I was starting to grow tired. Sometimes, I even wanted to burst into tears.

But, I'm stronger than that. I'm not a crybaby anymore.

~ Rumors

Olette Hirasawa: she slept with every guy in her class in middle school and with the vice principal.

Vanitas Irino: he murdered three students in Twilight High after sleeping with them.

Hayner Sasaki: homosexual.

Pence Taya: homosexual and has an eating disorder.

Those rumors.. I made them. Overexagerated and unrealistic, but everyone believed me anyway.

My jealousy over Roxas and Xion's friendship got the best of me, I had to get him to hate her.

~ Avoidance

I thought my plan had worked, but when I saw Roxas trying his best to get Xion to talk to him.. that was when I realized how stupid I was. It would take more for that to get him to hate her.

~ Friends Again

I watched the short fight between Xion and Yuna, a little concerned. I didn't mean it to go _this_ far.

I hid behind the soda machine, guilt burning inside of me as I watched Yuna punch Xion. The raven-haired girl fell backwards, clutching her stomach, while Yuna, Rikku and Paine laughed. I wanted to walk right between them, but it felt as if I was glued to the floor. Luckily, Xion's friends came to the rescue. The spiky black-haired boy managed to get them to leave and after a brief moment of silence between them, they all joined in a group hug.

I left before they were able to see me and walked back home, feeling lighter than earlier.

~ Struggle Tournament

He didn't see me that day. Each time he fought, I cheered, screamed his name and waved at him so that he would notice me. He never did, though. He only paid attention to Xion.

Afterwards, I tried to find him so that I would be able to congratulate him. However, he disappeared. I couldn't find him anywhere, until I saw a glimpse of black and green zoom by; Xion. I followed her and soon ended up at Station Plaza, where Roxas was waiting for her with a huge grin on his face.

He taught her a few tricks and I have to admit, Xion is pretty good. Later on, the two of them entered the Train Station with blue ice creams in hand. I waited for quite some time, but they never came back out. I was about to leave when I heard soft giggles above me. I looked up and saw them sitting on the edge of the clock tower, admiring the magnificent view of Twilight Town. I watched as Roxas detached the blue orb from his trophy and gave it to Xion.

On the way home, I couldn't help but wish that was me up there with him.

~ Talks

I came over to Roxas's house that day. We listened to CD's and talked about our classes, new friends and such, then went to the cinema afterwards to catch a movie.

My heart broke into pieces that day, however, when I asked him about Xion. I remember exactly what he said about her..

_"Xion.. is a really sweet person, but only when she wants to be. She gets annoyed and upset easily, but she always tries to find a way to make everyone happy, even if she won't be. That's something I really admire about her. She's a tomboy, not that it's a bad thing, and she's really clumsy. She's honest, so I believe everything she says, even if she can be a little too direct sometimes; like the time when she said I was a show-off." he chuckled. "She doesn't really care about what people think about her and.." he smiled. "Even if I didn't know her for long, I like spending time with h-" he stopped before he was able to finish his sentence and his whole face immediately turned red._

I was one hundred percent sure he liked her after that conversation.

~ Namine

Another thing I envy about Xion: her voice.

She and Roxas sang together in Music class.

_"Namine, guess what? Xion likes Utada Hikaru, too!"_

He was so happy that someone liked the same kind of music as him, and I wouldn't be surprised if Xion was extrememly happy as well. It was like.. they were made for each other.

~ A Favor

Since they didn't have any lessons after school, I took this to my advantage. I asked Xion if she could help me get together with Roxas.

If she accepted, then Roxas and I could finally live our happily ever after. Roxas told me that she had a hard time saying yes when it came to things similar to this, so I assumed that she would accept and asked her without having second thoughts.

~ Friends or Rivals?

Guess I was wrong.

The tears poured down my cheeks; they wouldn't stop. How could she love him? They barely even know each other! But, I guess.. I only cried because I _knew_ he would never love me. I'm forever in the friend zone.

During lunchtime, I saw Roxas talking to Xion and not wanting them to get any closer, I popped up in the middle of their conversation.

_"Oh, you guys are going somewhere tonight?" I asked with fake cheeriness in my voice._

_"Um, yeah." Roxas scratched the back of his head. "I was gonna ask her if we could go to that new cafe down the street."_

_"Really? Mind if I tag along?"_

_"I kinda only wanted it to be me and Xion, but I guess you could come, too." Roxas is too nice for his own good._

_"Thank you! So, you guys will be there at around six maybe?" Roxas nodded. "I'll meet you guys there! Bye-bye!"_

At Oathkeeper Cafe, Xion held out her hand for me to shake, meaning that we could be friends. As if there was a bug on her hand, I slapped it away, glaring daggers at her.

And that was when our rivalry started.

_"I never lose. Roxas will be mine; one way or another. You'll see."_

~ Tomorrow

I spilled paint on Xion, which was actually really funny. But, she tripped me in Gym class and now I have a nasty scar on my left knee.

During third or fourth period as I recall, my English teacher gave us an assignement to do in teams of two, which was due for next class. I immediately ran over to his desk right when she finished talking and asked him to be my partner. I suggested we start after school. He agreed, though his eyes suddenly widened and I skipped away before he could say anything about his lessons.

~ Lie

So that Xion would be out of the way, I wrote a fake note to Roxas saying it was from Xion. Even if I know I'll never be the one he loves, at least he'll know I love him.

_Roxas,_

_Meet me at Twilight Park at five._

_Let's have one lesson there for a change._

_-Xion_

However, throughout the whole day, I kept having doubts. He'll forgive her anyway.. and what if he shows her the letter?

So, right after school, I led Xion all the way to the cherry blossom path.

I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't allow them to get closer and closer by the second.

So, I lied.

_"Roxas and I are together."_

Right then and there, I could've sworn I saw Xion's heart shatter right through her.

~ Confession

I followed Roxas all the way to the park and watched him do a few tricks.. Method grabs, heel flips; so many that I can't even count. After a few minutes, he sat on the bench, glancing at his watch every now and then. I waited for a few minutes, just to make sure that no one would come and interrupt us. When the coast was clear, I walked over to him.

_"Roxas?" I asked, trying to sound surprised and innocent. He turned his head, smiling, though it faded quickly._

_"Oh. Namine." he said, turning away._

_"Uh, sorry to be a disappointment." I said and took a seat next to him._

_We had an awkward conversation, followed by awkward silences. I was shaking; I HAD to tell him. There may never be another chance! However, before the words could come out of my mouth, he took one last look at his watch, he stood up. He said bye and hopped onto his board, rolling away slowly._

_Say it!_

_"Roxas." he stopped in his tracks and turned around to face me. I gulped._

_"Yeah?" I approached him, pushing away all my fear and nervousness._

_"I-I've been wanting to tell you something.. Something really important." I said. "I.. Roxas.. I.."_

_"What is it?" he asked. I took one step closer, our faces just inches apart._

_This was it._

_"I love you, Roxas." I stood on my tippy toes and kissed him full on the lips. However, he immediately pulled away. I couldn't keep it in any longer; the tears rolled down my cheeks._

_"Namine, I'm sorry, but.."_

And then.. he rejected me.

~ Ignorance

My plan had worked.

All day, Roxas tried to get Xion's attention, but all she did was ignore him or run off. I was extremely happy; in Xion's point of view, Roxas loved _me_.

Even if it was the opposite.

As the final bell echoed thoughout the school, I threw on the biggest smile on my face and ran up to the blonde with spiky hair.

_"Hi, Roxas!" I said gleefully, eyes sparkling. He turned around, though instead of seeing his usual bright smile and his lively eyes, he had a hurt expression on._

_"Hey." he said flatly._

_"You don't look too good," I stated, clamping my palm onto his forehead. "You're not heating up or anything.. What's wrong?" I stared at me, frowning._

_"Xion's mad at me.. and I don't even know what I did. I tried to apologize as much as I can, I bought her chocolates, flowers; I did all those stupid, cheesy stuff you see on tv all the time. And she still won't forgive me," he sighed. I bit my lower lip. "I just.. I don't even know anymore.." With that, he left._

I guess things didn't go as I wanted them to; I ended up hurting Roxas more than I wanted to hurt Xion.

I rushed out of the school, hoping to find a familiar raven-haired girl. Luckily, I did. I grabbed her wrist, like I always do, and dragged her all the way to the school's garden.

Now.. all I have to tell her is the truth.

~ Apology

_"Xion, I-I'm sorry. It's said so many times these days it's lost its meaning, but I mean it with all my heart, I'm sorry."_

Even though I caused her so much pain.. she forgave me.

She ran off once I told her that Roxas was waiting for her, pushing my jealousy out of the way. I couldn't deny it any longer; they were meant for each other.

It was.. destiny, I guess.

And I couldn't change that.

~ Reasons / Present

In the distance, on top of the clock tower, I watched two figures laugh softly while eating sea salt ice cream. One of them held up a blue crystal as it reflected the setting sun's rays.

Feeling happy for them, I walked in the direction of my house, alongside my friend, Riku.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" the silver-haired boy said all of a sudden.

"What hurts?" I asked, staring at him in confusion.

"You know.. when the person you love, loves someone else." a light pink appeared on his cheeks.

"Yeah," I agreed, looking down. "It.. really hurts."

"Hey, don't worry. There are other guys out there," he assured. "You never know, the one you're looking for could be right besi.. um, I-I.." he stuttered. "Forget it." I looked up from the ground and gave him a small, yet sincere smile.

"Thanks, Riku."

* * *

><p>I may have lost to her, but just like Riku said, there are other guys out there.<p>

I'll find the perfect one for me eventually.

I'll just have to wait.

* * *

><p>Just a small summary of the story, but in Namine's POV. Please review! :)<p> 


	18. Summertime

OVER 200 REVIEWS? *faints*

Awe, you guys are the best people in the whole UNIVERSE! I mean it with all my heart! *hugs* Because of my laziness, school and such, I was about to abandon this story by chapter 15 or something. However, when I saw the amount of reviews, hits, faves, alerts and PM's, I kept going. You guys are my inspiration. :)

So, here's chapter 18 and thank you all so much!

* * *

><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 18

Summertime

**4:56**

I can't believe it's the last day of school already. Man, time flies..

"It's been a pleasure teaching all of you this year. All of your grades have gotten better since the beginning of the year and.." my fourth period teacher went on and on about grades and what had changed throughout this whole school year.

"Four more minutes! FOUR. FOUR. FOUR~!" Hayner sang in my ears.

"Finally! I'm starving." Pence said as his stomach grumbled. My group of friends and I giggled.

"You're always hungry, Pence," Olette giggled. "You could eat a thousand burgers and still be hungry."

"It's like.. the eighth wonder of Twilight Town!" Hayner exclaimed.

Pence patted his endless pit of a stomach proudly.

**4:57**

"So, for today.. I was thinking maybe we could-"

"Go see a movie?" Olette half-asked half-suggested.

"Nah, we always do." the blonde said nonchalantly.

"Buffet?" Pence suggested, of course.

"We ate there last week."

"We could go hang out at the mall." I suggested this time.

"I don't wanna waste three hours of my life, that I can never get back, in the same store." Hayner eyed Olette.

**4:58**

"And next year will be a new adventure for all of you. I hope that.." Okay, you could stop talking now.

"We could play video games at my place." Vanitas suggested.

"We played at your place yesterday already."

"Anyways, what did you guys put for number eighteen in the final science exam?" Olette asked.

"Olette, quit talking about exams already! It's the last day of school, c'mon!" Hayner nudged her.

"Sorry," she apologized. "So, what were you gonna say, Hayner?"

"Huh? Oh, right! I was thinking maybe we could all go to Sunset Terrace and watch the sunset all together or something."

"Awesome, I'm down." Pence said. Olette, Vanitas and I nodded in agreement.

"Great!"

**4:59**

This was it.

The last sixty seconds until our FREEDOM.

This year was probably my best year so far.

Why?

Because.. I met Roxas.

I shifted my gaze over to the other end of the classroom and smiled at the blonde, who was currently talking to his group of friends. He must've noticed me because he looked in my direction. I automatically looked away, pretending to listen to whatever Hayner was talking about.

"THIRTY SECONDS." Sora Hikari yelled, interrupting the teacher.

She meerly shrugged and said her final words, "Have a wonderful summer everyone."

"Thank you!" the whole class exclaimed. Everyone stared at the clock, eagerly waiting for the final bell to ring.

"TEN!" Hayner cheered.

"Nine!" Olette exclaimed.

"Eight!" Pence gleefully said.

"Seven.." Namine said, sounding a little sad.

"SIX." Kairi yelled excitedly.

"Five." Vanitas said in a bored tone.

"Four!" Roxas and I said at the same time. We looked at each other, laughing.

"Three." Riku said coolly.

"TWO~!" Sora sang.

"ONE!" the whole class, including the teacher, exclaimed.

_**RIIIIING.**_

Everyone jumped out of their seats, screaming and hugging each other. A bunch of guys threw paper planes around the class, while others twisted a small tube and confetti came popping out. Everyone laughed as many danced around the class, Tidus and Wakka even ran up to the teacher and grabbed her hands, twirling her around.

My group and I ran out of the class, making sure to stay close to each other. We all swam through the sea of students, saying goodbye to the many familiar faces along the way.

"Bye Terra! Bye Aqua! Bye Ven!" I waved to the three best friends who were walking in the opposite direction. Aqua grabbed onto Terra's arm before waving back at me and Ven cheerfully waved back with the biggest smile on his face.

"Bye- Oops!" Selphie giggled at Vanitas. "Sorry, thought you were someone else. Have a great summer anyway, Vanitas." she winked. Vanitas grimaced.

"Whatever." he said. I stifled a laugh.

"See you at the next struggling tournament, chicken wuss." Seifer said to Hayner.

"Can't wait."

"Goodbye Xion, Roxas's soon-to-be wife." a certain redhead said, ruffling my hair.

"See ya." I said, fixing my now messy hair. I waved bye to him as he ran up to his group of friends; a blonde with a mull-hawk, a blue-haired guy and a short boy with blue-ish hair covering one eye. I don't really know him, so I find it kinda weird when he just randomly pops out of nowhere and tells me something about Roxas or something.

"Bye-bye, Pence!" a girl I haven't seen before said. She ran up to him and gave him a big hug before running off.

"Oooh, who's that?" Hayner nudged the brunet.

"Maybe she likes you!" Olette automatically assumed. Pence shook his head, laughing.

"She's just a friend."

"You mean girlfriend." Hayner corrected.

"Oho, I knew you were hiding something from me!" the cheerful brunette grinned. "What's her name anyway?"

"U-Uh.. It's.." Pence stuttered. "..Marvin."

"..That's a guy's name." Vanitas stated.

"OH, I GET IT! HE GOT A SEX-CHANGE!" the blonde idiot yelled, grabbing the attention of several students.

"NO! Dude, shut up!" the chubby brunet cried, cupping his friend's mouth with his hand. Hayner said something, though no one was able to understand a word he said. "What?" Pence removed his hand from his buddy's mouth.

"Why didn't you tell us you were interested in guys?" I facepalmed.

"Don't you guys get it?" I said, shaking my head. "He's not ready to tell us yet!"

"Aw, why not?" Olette pouted.

"Because I'm kinda scared that you guys will play matchmaker or something." Pence shrugged.

"Oi, come on! We didn't play matchmaker on Xion!.. Speaking of which.." Hayner eyed me.

"Don't.. even," I said, trying to stay calm. "Or I will appear in your room in the middle of the night holding up a chainsaw, prepared to chop you into tiny pieces."

"Hey, he's just kidding." my girl best friend said.

"Yeah, chill." the blonde said, patting my head.

Finally, after all that pushing and screaming in the corridors, we found ourselves in front of the doors of Twilight High. Just a few more steps and we're out of jail! Hayner decided to make a dramatic exit by pushing the two doors open at the same time, pulling a rose out of nowhere and brought it up to his nose to smell its sweet scent. This earned him a few weird stares, laughs and facepalms. Olette smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For doing something stupid." Doesn't he always do something stupid..?

While Hayner and Olette were bickering like a married couple, I took the time to close my eyes and inhale the fresh air. I re-opened them to admire the magnificent color of the sky and the setting sun's bright light. I sighed.

We were free.

"Quit acting like five-year-olds already." Vanitas said, cutting in between the two.

"Fine.. So, off to Sunset Terrace?" Olette asked.

"Let's go!" I cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

"Hey, guys.. you know, I was drinking milk the other day and then I thought about the person who discovered milk.." Hayner trailed off. "WHAT THE FREAK WAS HE DOING WITH THAT COW?" Once again, he caught the attention of many people. How did we get from Sunset Terrace to.. cows?

"Don't just scream something like th-" Vanitas began.

"No, no! I'm being serious here! Why would you- What kind of person would walk up to a cow and go like, 'Oooh, I'll just drink whatever comes out of these squishy, funny-looking, dangly things!'"

Awkward silence.

"..He has a point." I turned my head a little.

"Roxas!" I said, a little too happily. Then, my face blanched. "How long were you standing there?"

"Erhm.. right after he said 'the person who discovered milk'." he chuckled. "Anyways, are you guys busy this aftern-" Suddenly, much to Vanitas's dismay, Sora appeared out of nowhere and pushed the spiky blonde aside.

"You guys wanna come to a party?" the brunet asked, grinning somewhat like the Cheshire Cat.

"I don't know.. I'm not that comfortable with par-" Vanitas began.

"WE'RE SO THERE!" Hayner yelled.

"Awesome!" the spiky brunet exclaimed. He took a pen out of his pocket, popped the top off and grabbed Vanitas's hand.

"What the f-"

"Hush now, Vanitas," Sora said, writing his address on the raven-haired boy's hand. When he was done, he jumped back a foot or two. "See you guys there!" With that, he ran off to who knows where.

"He basically said everything, I guess." Roxas shrugged. "See ya."

"Disgusting," Vanitas grimaced, staring at his hand. "Now all his germs are on my hand."

"Hey, Sora's not that bad. He's really nice and goofy and stuff." I said honestly.

"He's extremely annoying, though." he shoved his 'germ-filled' hand in his pocket. "Oh, by the way, Hayner.." he proceeded in smacking the back of his head, like what Olette did, except harder. Much harder.

"GEEZ! What'd I do this time?"

"You know I hate parties. And because of you, Hikari touched my hand."

"It's no big deal!" Hayner yelled. "It's not like you got harassed.. like that cow.." We all laughed.

That's what I love about my friends. They always know what to say to make things better.

* * *

><p>"Got any threes?" Pence asked.<p>

"Go fish." I yawned. "Vani, got any eights?" he cursed, handing me three eights.

"Hayner.. got any nines?"

"Go fish. Any tens?"

"Go fish. Pence, got any-"

"THAT'S IT!" Hayner yelled, throwing his cards in the air. He stood up and headed towards the bathroom. "Olette, hurry up! Or I'll break the door down!" he pounded on the door in frustration.

"In a minute!" she said.

"You said that an hour ago!"

"Hold on! I'm almost- There! Done!" the door swung open to reveal Olette in a plain orange top, tan shorts and flip flops. The blonde looked like he was gonna rip her apart.

"It took you.. an hour.. just to dress up in.. that?" he spat.

"Huh? No! It took me about fifteen minutes to pick this out, fifteen minutes to put it on and make sure there weren't any stains or ripped parts and the rest to fix my hair." she smiled innocently.

"But.. you look exactly the same!"

She frowned. "I do? Let me just go change into-"

"NO." we, excluding Olette, said simultaneously. We literally dragged her out of the house before she could get into her room and spend another hour in there.

"So, what's Sora's address?" Vanitas lifted his hand up.

"1314 Noruma street."

"Oh, I know how to get there!" Pence exclaimed. And so, we followed him and soon found ourselves in front of a huge house. We rang the doorbell and the familiar brunet opened it up, stepping aside to let us in. He led us to his enormous backyard, where everyone was dancing to the music that blared from the speakers. Besides that, he owned a huge pool, but no one was currently in it.

"Enjoy yourselves! There's food inside and outside, music, you name it!" he grinned sweetly before disappearing into the crowd.

"Hey, you guys actually came." a familiar voice said. Without a doubt, I knew that it was Roxas.

"Yup! We love parties." Hayner said as Vanitas coughed.

"Awesome." he smiled. "By the way, Sora's gonna be playing a slow song later on. You better start looking for your partners!"

"I don't dance." Vanitas said in a monotone.

"Trust me, you better start looking or get some random girl to dance with you. Unless you wanna dance with Sora." the black-haired boy twitched.

"..Xion!"

"Huh? Why me?" I asked, trying to hide the disappointment in my voice. I wanted to dance with Roxas..

"Because, you know.. 'Haynette'."

Oh, right. Vanitas always knew that Hayner and Olette liked each other. We decided to call them 'Haynette' (their couple name!), so that they wouldn't know we were talking about them.. even if the name is pretty obvious.

"Sure, I'll be your partner." I shrugged. I saw Roxas's face fall for a second before returning to its usual happy face.

"So, who wants to dance?" the blonde squeaked.

"I'll just wait for the slow song. I'll be by the food-"

"OH! I'm coming with you!" Pence said, running up to Vanitas's side.

Olette, Hayner, Roxas and I joined in with the crowd of dancing people. Some people really knew how to dance while some.. not really. And it was kind of embarassing to watch, since they thought they were so cool and all.

After many fast-paced songs, a soft song started to play. Vanitas ran over to me and pulled me close to his body. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he wrapped his around my waist.

"Having fun? 'Cause I'm not." he said boredly. I giggled.

"Of course." I glanced over his shoulder to see Hayner and Olette slow dancing together. "Aw, aren't they perfect for each other?"

"I always thought they were." I took a glance a the couple a few meters away from us. Pence was dancing awkwardly with that girl from earlier. "I feel kinda bad for Pence, though. He always liked Olette."

"Yeah. But, he has her, doesn't he?" he nodded his head at the aforementioned couple.

"Yup, that's good."

"You're still going to the festival, right?"

"..Festival?"

"The Starry Skies Festival, genius."

"Oh! Yeah, I am. We always go; every year since we were in second grade."

"You cosplaying this year?"

"Maybe, but I still don't know who I'm gonna cosplay as. You?"

"Not sure either. Cosplays are expensive." I took a few glances at the couples dancing around us.

Sora and Kairi. They're both so oblivious to the fact that they both share the same feelings. It's kinda cute, though.

Terra and Aqua. Of course! I always see them together in the hallways at school. They show so much love and affection to each other, it's adorable!

Leon and Yuffie. Woah, the calm and mature Squall Leonhart and the loud, hyperactive Yuffie Kisaragi? You don't see that everyday!

Riku and Namine. Maybe Riku was the right guy for her all along.. She looks so happy and safe in his arms.

Cloud and Tifa. Aha! Just like Hayner and Olette; best friends become more than friends.

Zack and Aerith. They're perfect for each other. The sweet and lovable Aerith and the strong and loyal Zack..

Come to think of it, I don't see Roxas anywhere.

Soon enough, the song ended.

"Thanks for dancing with me. I would've hated it to dance with some random person." his lips curved into a small, and rare, smile. "By the way, if you're looking for your boyfriend, he's by the pool."

"Thanks, Va- HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND." I yelled before stomping off.

"Hey," I said. The blonde looked up and patted the ground next to him. I removed my flip flops and sat next to him, dipping my feet into the sparkling water. "You didn't dance?"

"Nah, didn't have a partner. Luckily, Sora didn't see me." he chuckled.

"So.. uh, anything planned this summer?"

"Skateboarding lessons will only be on Mondays, by the way. I'll be pretty busy this summer. Hanging out with friends, going to new worlds with my family.. all kinds of things. How about you?"

"Not really sure, to be honest. I really wanted to go swimming today, but-"

Right after I said that, Roxas took his shirt off and picked me up bridal style.

"Ack! Roxas! What are you doing?" I asked in confusion.

"You wanted to go swimming, didn't you?"

"Oh no.. You can't be seriou- AHH!" I screamed as Roxas jumped into the pool. I swam to the surface and came face to face with a laughing blonde.

"COWABUNGAAAA!" Sora yelled as he canon balled into the pool. Then, everyone started to jump into the pool, splashing water everywhere. We all laughed, especially when Wakka tried to show off, but ended up belly flopping. Some people actually had their swimsuits under their clothing, but it was much funner with your clothes on, in my opinion.

"NO. I don't want to ruin my hair!" a girl, who was just as girly as Namine, said.

There was a moment of silence. However, as if on cue, everyone splashed her with water. She shrieked in horror as we all laughed.

As I watched more people jump into the pool, I smiled happily.

Summer had finally arrived.

* * *

><p><em><strong>P L E A S E . R E A D !<strong>_

I'd like to thank you all once again for the amazing reviews and now, I have a few questions for you guys..

According to you, what is the most well-known, popular anime/manga/video game couple? One that you see everywhere, that everyone always talks about?

Would you like the group to cosplay at the festival? Or would you like them to wear yukatas?

To VideoGamesMakeTheWorldGoRound: Awesome! You know Vocaloid! You kinda gave me an idea for this one, so what's your favorite Vocaloid couple?

I'm not forcing you to answer them, but it would be nice if you did. :)

Awe, man. This story is almost finished.. D: I loved writing it and it really helped me improve my writing skills.. which were horrible before. Well, it was nice talking to you guys. Until next chapter!

Please review. :)


	19. Beach

WHEEEE! Winter break in just a few days! It's kinda sad, though. I live in Canada (the place where most people expect to snow first. xD) and it isn't snowing. I mean, it snowed for a day.. then it melted the next. Well, it's a good thing for me; I hate snow. It's cold and wet and.. bleh. Dx

I bet most of you thought this was the festival chapter! Sadly, it isn't. But, I'll try my best to make it an extra long chapter. I'll try to reach four thousand words!

Thank you all so much for the reviews! They mean a lot! *hearts*

* * *

><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 19

Beach

It had already been a week since school finished.

The day after the party at Sora's place, Hayner and I were walking together to Olette's house, where she, Pence and Vanitas were waiting for us. We were gonna go to the arcade that day. He said he knew a shortcut; if we passed through the back alley, we'd be there in no time. We did just that, but since I still wasn't a pro at skateboarding, I fell and my board went flying. We heard something break, so we ran towards the area where the 'thud' came from. My board flew into some secret spot and we both found out that it made some old crate fall. Once we shoved the wooden box aside, the blonde and I took some time to inspect the little room. There was a dusty couch, many more crates and a red curtain was hung over the entrance. It was small, yet it was really cozy. Hayner and I told the rest of the group about it and thus, it was dubbed as 'The Usual Spot'.

And that is where we are right now.

"Okay, so. I planned what we're all gonna do this summer," Hayner announced. He pulled out a list, that seemed like four meters long, and began to read it. "First, we're gonna watch that new action movie I saw on tv the other day, then we're gonna have a sleepover at whoever's place, we're gonna stay up talking about random crap and the next day, w-" Olette pulled the list out of his hands. "Hey!"

The brunette scanned the list, then looked up from it to face him.

"Are you kidding me? 'Everyone gives Hayner enough munny so that he could get a 3DS.'" she rolled her eyes. As if we'd all agree on that.

"Hey, that new game is coming out and I really want it!" he pouted.

"Let me guess.. Drop Dream Distance?"

He nodded. "So, how about it guys?"

"No." we all, excluding Hayner, said in unison.

"You guys suck."

"We love you, too." Olette said in a teasing tone.

"I kinda don't feel like going to the movies tonight, though." Pence said.

"Me neither," Vanitas said. "We went there so many times this year already."

"So, where do you guys want to go?" Hayner asked. There was a moment of silence, everyone trying to think about where to go to. Let's see.. not the arcade.. not the amusement park.. Where could we possibly g- Oh!

"The beach!" I exclaimed. My best friends all looked at me, grinning.. except for Vanitas, of course. It was rare to see him smile.

"That's a great idea! You guys have enough munny?" Hayner asked as we all nodded. "Why don't we all just meet up at the station in fifteen minutes?" We all agreed as we went our seperate ways.

I skateboard-ed home as fast as I could, excited to get to Destiny Islands. I could go collect some seashells, watch the sunset from that curved palm tree I've been going to since I was young..

When I saw my house just a few meters away, I hopped off my board, picked it up and sprinted towards the cream-colored house. I ran up to my room once I unlocked the door and dug through my closet to find my favorite swinsuit. Thank goodness mom and dad weren't here, there wasn't anyone to complain about how unclean and messy my closet is or how much noise I'm making. Finally, at the bottom of my endless pit of clothes, I threw off my clothes to put them on. I put on some black shorts and an old shirt on that was one size too big.

I packed my sunscreen, extra clothes and a bucket for the seashells, while I carried a huge umbrella with my right arm. I brought some munny, obviously, and walked out the door feeling as excited as ever.

I was the last one to arrive at the station, as usual. "There you are, finally." Vanitas said.

"Five students." Hayner told the man, showing him his five fingers. We all paid and as if on cue, the train had just arrived. We entered it, trying to find some decent seats, but we were all seperated. Oh, well.. the ride wasn't that long anyway.

* * *

><p><em>"Next stop: Destiny Islands."<em>

The two minutes of the ride felt like an eternity, due to the fact that I was super excited and wanted to get off the train. The familiar 'beep' resounded when we reached our destination. Vanitas, Pence, Hayner, Olette and I walked out of the train and sighed in satisfaction.

Today is gonna be awes-

"OI, ROXY, GOOD NEWS! YOUR GIRLFRIEND'S HERE, TOO!" ..Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me. I turned around slowly, only to find Axel running up to me. Sora, Roxas, Demyx and many others followed after him.

"Oh, hey Ax- eek!" he then glomped me as I squeaked from the sudden physical contact.

"Hey, Shi-Shi," he grinned a fox-like grin. "How was your summer so f- OH, MY GOSH." he pointed out into the distance. "YES, there are coconuts this year!" Woah, he gets distracted so easily.

"What are you talking about, Axel? There are coconuts every year." My heart skipped a beat. "You're just too- O-Oh! Xion, you're here, too!"

"Psh, yeah. Didn't I mention it earlier? I said that your girlfriend's h- Ow!" Roxas smacked the back of his head.

"I told you, we're just friends." he smiled at me. My face fell when he said that, but I forced myself to smile wider.

"..Um, o-okay. I guess I'll see you guys around." I said before turning around to walk away with my friends.

"What was that all about?" Vanitas smirked.

"You see? Even Axal- or whatever- thinks you guys are together!" Pence teased, then took a picture of me making a stupid face.

"Pence.. shut up." I said.

We all walked around for a bit, trying to find the perfect spot. We did eventually and the boys took their shirts off and raced towards the water, while Olette and I stayed behind to take a few pictures first.

"Cheese!" the brunette and I said simultaneously. The flash blinded us for a second, then Olette proceeded in reviewing the picture.

"Awesome," she commented. I stood up and took my green bucket out of my bag.

"I'm gonna go collect some seashells. You wanna come?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm going swimming."

I left when she ran towards the ocean and searched all over the place for some seashells. I have a box at home full of them, but I just can't help but collect more. I picked up a pearl white seashell and brought it up to my ear, smiling when I heard the sound of the gentle waves. I carefully placed it into my bucket and picked up a purple one. Yay, my favorite color! A red one..? I've never seen one of these before. I picked up the mysterious object and examined it. It didn't look like a shell at all. Suddenly, I felt something pinch my hand, so I dropped it.. Only to find out that it was a crab.

I giggled softly, though stopped when someone joined in.

"I was about to warn you about the crab. Guess I was too late, huh?" Roxas. I swiftly turned around.

"Hehe, it's okay."

"So, you really like shells, don't you?"

I nodded. "I have a whole collection of these at home." He picked one up and gave it to me.

"I used to collect these as a kid.. But, I don't know where they are anymore."

He helped me find some shells as we laughed and talked about funny things in the past or whatnot. When my bucket was half full, I walked around, while looking at the many things that I found. Then, I saw it; the most beautiful seashell I've ever seen. It wasn't tainted with only one color, but three; blue, yellow and pink. I reached for it, but another hand suddenly brushed mine. I turned my face to see whose hand it belonged to, to find Roxas about three inches away from my face. My hand retreated immediately and I could feel my face grow warmer and warmer. We reached for it at the same time; sounds like one of those cliche movies.

"H-Here." the blonde held his hands out, where the object rested perfectly on his palm.

"Thanks." I said shyly and took it to place it in my bucket as if it was really fragile. Eventually, my lime green bucket became full and I admired all the pretty shells that resided in it.

"Thank you, Roxas."

"No problemo." We smiled at each other, but something standing out in the sand caught my eye. Roxas must've noticed, so he turned around as well. I ran towards it and picked it up gently.

"What.. is this?" I asked out loud. It was the shape of a star and its color was a bright yellow, a lot darker than the cream-colored sand. It had green leaves on one corner and it felt soft and squishy on my fingers.

"That's a Paopu fuit." Roxas said, who I haven't noticed standing in front of me.

"A what?"

"A Paopu fruit. Haven't you heard of these before?" I shook my head. "Oh! Well, legend has it that if two people share a Paopu fruit, their destinies become intertwined and they'll remain a part of each other's lives forever."

I smiled. "That's really.. sweet."

All of a sudden, the spiky-haired boy held onto the fruit, blushing. "D-Do you wanna share it?"

"Roxas.." I blushed. "I.. I-"

_Snap!_

"Awe, you guys look so cute together!" Sora exclaimed as the photographer lowered the camera to reveal his face.

"P-P-Pence!" I let go of the fruit and ran towards the brunet. I pounded him on the head. "Why'd you-!" he rubbed the spot where I hit him.

"You guys looked so calm and happy just by being together. And it looked so much like a movie scene, I just _had_ to take a picture!"

"It sounds an awful lot like a book I have read, don't you recall, Dem.." a boy with one eye covered by his hair, known as Zexion, began. "Where is Demyx?"

"BOOYAAAH!" the aforementioned boy was seen on a surfboard, catching some waves.

"Of course." Axel smirked.

"..I say we join him." Sora said. Everyone, except for me, ran towards the shack, where all the swimming equipment were. Each one of them ran out with a surfboard and joined in with the surfing blonde. I watched as they all failed and laughed a lot, especially when Pence fell and planted his butt on Vanitas's face. When everyone became tired, they all headed back to their spots, whether it was to plop onto the blanket or grab some ice cream to cool them off from being under the sun too long.

"So, which ice creams do you guys want?" I asked, opening up the cooler Olette brought.

"Chocolate." Hayner said, breathing heavily.

"Strawberry, please!" Olette cheerfully exclaimed, not sounding the least bit tired.

"Vanilla!" Pence exclaimed.

"Vanilla." Vanitas said.

Since Olette wasn't a big fan of sea salt ice cream, I chose strawberry. Because I was so used to taking sea salt, my ice cream tasted funny. I was expecting a salty taste, not sweet. Hayner and Pence finished theirs in less than a minute and they stood up to go swim some more.

"Um, shouldn't you guys wait a bit? You two are gonna get a cramp." Olette said in a motherly voice.

"Tch, I never do anyway." Hayner replied.

About two minutes later, the two boys were crawling back to us, literally.

"Ow.. my stomach.." Pence groaned.

"Told you. You guys never listen to me." Olette shook her head.

When the boys' cramps wore off, I was left alone again, since my friends wanted to go swimming some more. I sighed. I wish I could swim..

"Hey," I _knew_ he would come. "I just realized.. you didn't swim at all since you arrived."

I chuckled. "I know. I can't swim."

"You can't?" he stared at me as if I grew a second head.

"Nope. Why's it such a big deal?" The blonde took his shirt off and I just stared at his upper body. He was.. he had.. he looked.. wow.

He held out his hand for me to take. "Come on. I'll teach you."

"W-What?" I babbled. The thought of me swimming made a look of horror wash over my face. "No, I-I can't! I can't swim for my life!"

"We'll start on the shallow end, then we'll get deeper and deeper, okay?"

"O-Okay, then.." I stood up, with help from his hand, and shyly took off my clothes. I followed him to the water and he began to teach me; it was just like skateboarding lessons. He explained it clearly to me as I tried to do the same thing he did.

"R-Roxas, I don't think I-I'm r-ready to go to the d-deep end yet." I stuttered in fear.

"Trust me, nothing bad is gonna happen to you."

I took a deep breath as I swam farther and farther into the deep end. However, a huge wave washed over me and I found myself getting lower. I swam back up to the surface, but another wave washed over me. With the few amount of strength left, I swam back up to shout, "Roxas!"

I found myself below the surface once more and I tried to force myself back up, but I already used up all of my energy.

I was running out of breath..

Everything was becoming blurry..

Roxas..

And then, everything went black.

* * *

><p>I felt something on my lips and I felt air being forced into my body. I slowly opened up my eyelids, however, they snapped open mid-way. My blue orbs widened and I could swear that they were the size of saucers.<p>

Roxas was kissing me? !

My hand reacted immediately.

_SLAP!_

The blonde flew backwards, rubbing his red cheek. The people around us cheered, hugged or sighed in relief. I coughed out some water before looking at Roxas, mortified.

"What were you doing! I'm not Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, you know!" I shouted.

That was my first kiss.

"Xion! You're alive!" Roxas glomped on me as well as everyone else.

"We thought you were dead!" Demyx said. Wait, what happened again? Roxas was teaching me how to swim and- oh, right. I drowned. Now I get it: he was giving me.. CPR. So basically, I didn't get my first kiss yet. Phew.

"S-Sorry for making you guys worry." I apologized sincerely.

"Don't worry, we're just glad that you're okay." Vanitas said. Aw, that was the sweetest thing he ever said to me.. even though it was in a monotone.

"Well, it's already pretty late. I guess it's time to g-"

"Olette, we could stay here as long as we want. It's summer, come on!" Sora exclaimed.

She giggled. "Okay, okay."

Pence handed me a towel, in which I wrapped my petite figure around. I thanked him as I walked back to our spot and sat under the umbrella. No more swimming for me after that last encounter.

When it was dark, we all made a bonfire. Luckily, Sora brought some marshmallows and barbecue sticks, so that we could roast some. Sora and Axel told us scary stories, while Olette and Pence told us funny stories to wash the fear away. While Hayner was telling them a story he told my group and I a thousand times already, I escaped quietly and headed over to the curved palm tree. I climbed on it and admired the wonderful view before me. The sky was a thick blanket of dark blue and twinkling stars danced in the sky. The moon's light reflected on the clear water and the waves created a soothing atmosphere. Everything was so peaceful at the moment.

"Hey, mind if I join you?" knowing who it was, I simply nodded my head as the person rested his back against the tree.

"Isn't it beautiful?" I asked softly.

"Yeah. Too bad we can't see this in Twilight Town."

"Roxas.. I.. wanted to say sorry for slapping you earlier. I should've thanked you instead of screaming at you."

"It's nothing. I probably would've reacted the same way.. minus the slap." we laughed.

"Did I slap you too hard?"

"Nah, it doesn't hurt anymore. I'm fine."

A comfortable silence took over. I felt very calm and relaxed; just hearing the crickets cherp, the sound of the waves, the laughing from the gang near the fire.. Somehow, it made me sad because we all know that our days together will soon come to an end.

"Xion. I have something.. really important to tell you." Roxas said, breaking the silence.

"Yes?"

"I don't know how to say this.. I.. Xion, I-"

"Come on, you lovebirds, we're leaving, it's getting really late!" Axel called out. The spiky blonde sighed.

"I'll tell you some other time."

"Okay.. oh, Roxas?" I smiled. "About earlier.."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for saving my life."

**I love you.**

* * *

><p>Hey, I decided on what everyone should cosplay as!.. Except for Olette, Hayner, Kairi, Riku, Namine and Cloud. -.- Any ideas? :)<p>

Please review, it could be my Christmas gift, LOL.

_**HAPPY HOLIDAYS! :)**_


	20. Starry Skies Festival

THE FESTIVAL CHAPTER! It was really fun writing this! I'm sorry if you guys don't agree with the cosplays. Dx Roxas and Xion's cosplays earned the most votes on reviews/PM's and I love those two characters, so it's a good thing. ^^

I'm really sad, though. There are six chapters left of this story. I'm really gonna miss this.. Well, enough of the sadness, it's my favorite story out of what I've written so far. Thank you thank you thank you for the reviews! I love you all to bits! x3

Also, I'm really proud to say that this story inspired an artwork on DA! The artist is the one and only **Savoring(dot)Happiness** here on FFN! :) She drew the Paopu fruit moment from last chapter; go it check it out for yourself! Make sure to leave a comment. :)

* * *

><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 20

Starry Skies Festival

My best friends and I are currently in Hello Cosplay, a shop in Twilight Town where you could buy yukatas, cosplays or anime, manga and video game goods. We're all here because tomorrow is the Starry Skies Festival and, like every year, we're doing some last minute shopping.

"Why don't we all just go in yukatas this year?" Olette asked, holding up an orange yukata with a sunflower pattern.

We all turned to face her. "No."

"Huh? Why not? It's much cheaper than cosplays." She did have a point; some cosplays even go up to 500 munny.

"Well.. it's fun cosplaying as one of your favorite anime, manga or video game character. You could act the way they do, take pictures with the one they love or hate, do something your character would never do or even think of doing just for kicks and you don't need to worry about feeling awkward or looking stupid because as long as you're having fun.. it's all that matters, really." I explained, smiling.

"Xion's right," Vanitas said. "Or you could go in a yukata if you want. You'll be the only one, though."

"Fine. But, who should I cosplay as?" the brunette asked, scanning the shelves and the costumes that hung on the racks.

"Not sure. Hey, we have the whole day anyway; the festival's tomorrow!" Hayner exclaimed. "Hey, Vanitas, who are you going as? Xion told me you already have your cosplay."

"I'm not telling you."

"Why not?" the sunshine-haired boy smirked. "Are you going as a girl?"

"No. It's just some character from the game I'm playing."

"Argh, I was kinda hoping you'd say yes." Vanitas rolled his eyes. Vanitas barely smiled- or showed any emotion to say the least. Did Hayner really expect him to cross-dress?

"So, are we gonna find our cosplays or not?" Olette asked grumpily.

"Don't be so crabby, Olette. We'll go in yukatas next year." Pence said, patting her on the back. She nodded.

The five of us walked around the shop, taking the cosplays we wanted to try on. Sometimes, we got seperated because Vanitas and I would run to the video games section, Olette would check every shelf for any new mangas, Pence would run out of the store when he smelled food and Hayner would.. well, disappear somehow. When we all met up in front of the changing rooms after being seperated for the umpteenth time, I saw Olette holding about twenty costumes in her arms and half of them were my favorite characters. Damn her for finding them before me!

Since there was only one available changing room, Olette ran towards it before any of us could. Great! Now, we have to wait a thousand years before she gets out!

"Any of you want any mangas while waiting?" I asked, glaring at Olette's stall.

"Naruto Shippuden volume thirty five." Pence said. He is the biggest Narutard I've ever met! He watched the whole anime, both original and Shippuden, five times and this was his third time reading the manga. Oh, don't even get me started on his room.

"Death Note. Any volume." Vanitas said. When I found out that he read it, I really wasn't surprised. Throughout the story, people died, people suffered, heck, people laughed during those crucial moments. The book just read 'Vanitas' all over it. Come to think of it, he could go as L. He'd be an awesome L.

"Bleach volume.. five." We all stared at him. He started the manga a year ago, how was he not finished? Well, this is Hayner we're talking about.

I walked over to the manga section and searched for the requested mangas. While looking for Death Note, a familiar title caught my eye and the manga I was planning to read was easily forgotten. I snatched whichever Death Note volume available, as well as the other wanted ones, and hurried back so that I could continue DNAngel. The story really got me hooked! And Daisuke is just adorable!

I handed the boys their comics and we all started reading while waiting for our friend to come out already. I got to read fifteen pages before being interrupted.

"So? How do I look?" a cheerful voice asked. I looked up from my manga to see Olette twirling around.

"Are you.. Are you supposed to be-" Pence began, tilting his head.

She giggled. "Sailor Moon? Yup! She was my hero as a kid!"

I looked the boys, they looked back at me. There was a moment of silence before we all burst out laughing.

"Are- Are you s-serious?" I said, clutching my stomach. Olette pouted.

"Yes! What's wrong with her?"

"Well, it's.. Sailor Moon. Usagi Tsukino; the crybaby. You know, meatball head! She's just.. I mean, why would anyone want to go as her out of all the Sailor Scouts?" Sailor Mars was, and always will be, my favorite. She's feisty, tough and independant. Sailor Mercury was too nerdy for my taste, Venus would automatically make me think of some stuck-up, spoiled brat, Jupiter was okay, actually. But, Sailor Mars always remained at the top.

"There are always so many people going as her. I don't see anything wrong with that.." the chocolate-haired girl entered the mini changing room and pulled the curtains. "Never mind, then."

"Oi, Olette, we're just kidding. You look cute in it." I said, hoping it would get her out of her sad mood. The curtains flew open once more and the brunette's eyes were sparkling.

"I do?" she grinned like a Mad Hatter.

I nodded. "But.. you should go as someone else. Like Meiko from Vocaloid or something."

"Okay then!" It's scary how she changes moods really quickly. "My favorite is Kaito, but I don't really wanna go as a boy." she entered the changing room to try on another costume.

"I just find it funny how he's twenty and doesn't cry over normal things, but cries when he drops his ice cream." I giggled. Several minutes later, the person next to her room exited as Pence ran into it while pumping his fists in the air triumphantly.

"Finally!" I heard him exclaim when he closed the curtains.

"Is this any better?" Olette opened the curtains to reveal herself.

"Cardcaptor Sakura? It's better, I guess." Hayner shrugged. I continued my manga, smiling to myself when Daisuke did something goofy in front of Risa when he tried to impress her. After a page or two, Pence opened the curtains and stepped out, grinning. I looked up from my manga and stared in awe.

"Pence! You look awesome!" I exclaimed, running to his side.

"You think so?"

I nodded. "Chouji Akimichi matches you perfectly! You both eat a lot and you're both nice; good choice!" Hayner and Vanitas soon walked over and complimented over the brunet's choice.

"Hello!" Olette huffed. "I'm still here, you know!"

"Oh, right. Well, look for something else." Hayner said boredly before turning to smile and pat Pence on the back. When the brunet re-entered the stall, Hayner, Vanitas and I returned to our seats to wait for the two to finish changing. Pence finished first, as expected, and sat next to me as we all continued reading while waiting for Olette to come out in another cosplay.

"She's gonna take another five years to change, so I'll go try my stuff on." Hayner threw the Bleach manga at me, in which I caught, and placed his hands behind his head. The blonde entered the changing room Pence was previously in. Several minutes later, as if on cue, Hayner and Olette exited at the same time, wearing cosplays of two characters from the same anime.

"Yuki Cross and Aidou Hanabusa. Odd couple," Vanitas smirked. "Hayner should go as Zero Kiyuu instead."

"We're not a couple!" Hayner yelled, blushing. I saw Olette's face fall for a second before nodding in agreement.

"Anyways, you guys look great! Olette, you look perfect as Yuki, buy it!" I smiled.

She waved her arms in the air. "Yes! Finally! Oh, but Xion. Did you chose your cosplay yet?"

I shook my head. "I was thinking of going as Shizune.. or maybe-"

"Let me help you chose! This'll be fun, it's just like playing dress up with a five-year-old!" she giggled. She finished changing in the speed of light and grabbed some cosplay from the rack. She pushed me into the stall and threw the costume over my head. I examined it for a while.

I twitched. "Olette, are you out of your mind? I'm not wearing this!"

"You're not getting out unless you wear it." she said darkly. I huffed and took the costume out of the plastic protector. I can't believe people would actually wear this; there's barely anything! I quickly threw on the black outfit, examining myself in the mirror. Why did I have to look so much like her? I shoved the curtains to the side and faced them, blushing out of embarassment.

"Black Rock Shooter? Aren't you gonna get cold wearing that?" Vanitas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Olette made me try it on!" I pointed accusingly at her as she stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Alright, I'll be serious now." she said sincerely.

"You guys do know that when you cosplay, you don't need to have the same hair color as the character, right?" Vanitas asked as we all nodded. "Then why'd you all cosplay as characters with the same hair color?"

"Wigs are expensive." Pence said reasonably.

The black-haired boy pointed at a sign not too far away. "Buy two cosplays, get a wig or accessories FREE!"

"How did I not see that..?" Olette facepalmed. "Hey! I can go as-"

"Just stick to Yuki, Olette. I don't wanna wait another century before leaving this store." Hayner said.

"I do _not_ take that long to dress up!"

"Uh, yes, you do. Sometimes even longer."

"_No_, I don't."

"_Yes_, you do."

And thus, they started arguing like two toddlers who were fighting over the last piece of cake. We always get weird stares from people whenever they argue because Olette usually grabs whatever she could reach and whacks him over the head with it or they just keep yelling louder and louder.

"Guys, shut up. Seriously, they're gonna kick us out of the store." Vanitas said, massaging his temples. They obeyed and looked away from each other, arms crossed over their chests. "You two really do act like children or maybe some married couple."

Disregarding the last comment, Olette continued. "So, Xion. What about Hikari Hanazono from Special K?" she smiled, handing me the cosplay.

"It's Special A." Hayner corrected.

A vein appeared on the brunette's forehead. "I knew that!"

I re-entered the stall and removed my current cosplay to try on Hikari's uniform. It was cute to say the least. It consisted of a gray shirt with a black and white vest over it, added with a bright yellow tie to top it off. A dark blue skirt and knee-high socks made the outfit look more school-like and innocent. It didn't look that good on me, so I walked out of the room with a smug look on my face.

"Obviously not this one." I said as they all agreed.

"Try this!" Olette smiled mischevously, then proceeded in throwing the clothes at me. I closed the curtains, and examined the costume.

..A maid outfit?

* * *

><p>"No! We're not leaving until you find the perfect cosplay!" Olette declared, pulling me back into the store. While she was searching through the racks, I tried to escape by tip-toeing out of the shop. Sadly, I failed.<p>

"But.. the guys left!" I yelled, angry that they ditched and jealous that they weren't stuck being Olette's guinea pig. They could've told us at least, I saw them exit the shop as if they never came with us in the first place.

She blinked. "They didn't leave. They're testing out some video games."

"You're lying!" I accused. "I saw them-"

"So, have you found your cosplay yet, Xion?" my eyes widened.

"Where did you come from? I thought you guys.." I trailed off. "Forget it. And no, I haven't."

"Then hurry up. We don't have all day." Vanitas scoffed.

"Actually.. we do." Hayner pointed out. The charcoal-haired boy smacked the back of Hayner's head. "Ow!"

The boys walked back to the video game section as Olette and I looked around the store some more. I tried on a Shizune (from Naruto) cosplay, but my companion said it was too plain. I tried on a Shirley Fenette (Code Geass) one, but sadly, it didn't go well with my figure. Olette made me try on a Haruhi Fujioka (Ouran High School Host Club) costume and I had to admit, I looked pretty good in it. However, I refused to buy it because she kept saying, "Hey! Maybe Roxas will be Tamaki! Then you guys would be a couple!" I tried on many more, but none of them was right for me. I gave after another failed costume, so I grabbed a purple yukata from the racks and was about to pay..

Until I saw it.

The Rin Kagamine cosplay that hung perfectly on the wall. I ran towards it the moment I saw it.

"How much for the Rin Kagamine cosplay?" I asked, slamming my hands over the counter. The woman kindly handed it to me, smiling.

"It's 90 munny, 140 if you buy the wig." I winced at the price, but I'm a huge fan of Vocaloid. Rin and Len are my favorite!

"Can I go try it on first?" she nodded as I happily skipped away to the changing room. The wig was gonna be free for me because Olette and I are paying together. Phew, I saved 50 munny.

When I was done changing, I already knew that this was the perfect one for me.

* * *

><p>"Are you ready yet, Vanitas?" I asked while knocking on the bathroom door.<p>

"Almost, I'm just trying to fit my hair in the helmet."

"Well, hurry up! We're all done, even Olette is!"

"Relax, I'm done. Geez, you guys are so impatient."

The ebony-haired boy swung the door open to reveal himself. He wore a black and blood red body suit that hugged his muscular body, along with three belts; one around his waist and two others that counter-crossed each other to create an x. Pale maroon boots covered his feet and to add a mysterious look to it, a silver helmet covered with dark glass masked his face.

"..Are you supposed to be a Power Ranger of some sort?" I asked.

"What the hell? No! I'm Kyoei from Kingdom of Hearts: Birth by Awakening."

"How is he like?"

"He's cruel, selfish and likes to make people suffer."

I snapped my fingers. "Go for it, guys." Hayner and Pence dragged Vanitas into a room as Olette threw a plastic bag, in which the blonde caught.

"What are you doing!" Vanitas cried in anger.

"Changing you into a different costume! You and Kyoei are way too similar! Even your names are!" Hayner said behind the door. In the middle of my conversation with the Yuki Cross cosplayer, the trio came out of the room. There, stood Vanitas.. in a Naruto Uzumaki cosplay. Olette and I burst out laughing.

"I hate you guys. I really do," he grumbled. "Where did you get this anyway?"

"I bought a Naruto cosplay before, but it was too big for me. I figured it would fit you, so.." the golden-haired boy stifled a laugh.

"What are you guys waiting for? Let's go already!" I exclaimed excitedly while heading towards the front door. My best friends followed suit and since Hayner's house was close to the festival, we reached it in no time.

**Starry Skies Festival** was written in traditional Japanese writing at the entrance of the festival. We all stared in amazement at how magnificent Twilight Town looked. There were bamboo sticks with long strands of paper wrapped around them; presumably wishes people wrote down. Lanterns of all sorts of colors hung between booths, creating some illumination and making the celebration appear more lively. There were many booths that sold food, items and more, and others were games where you could win a stuffed toy or perhaps something else, make your own charm bracelet, have your fortune told; all of those traditional Japanese activities and more. Many people sat atop a hill to talk and catch up with some old friends they haven't seen in a long time, while others just lay around eating food and watching the stars that appeared only once every year.

You see, in Twilight Town, the night sky would only be a thick blanket of midnight blue. Only once a year, the sky would be filled with twinkling stars that danced in the sky. People would write wishes on paper because these bright stars were rare and we believe that they would be able to grant everyone's wishes on this special night.

This was truly the most special and beautiful festival out of all the others.

While walking around, we saw a familiar group of friends (who were much like us) standing in line for the haunted house. Having a haunted house in a summer festival was weird idea, yet it attracted a lot of people every year.

"Oh, hey guys!" Yuffie greeted gleefully. She was dressed up as Mitsukuni 'Hunny' Haninozuka from Ouran High School Host Club. It was the perfect choice, in my opinion. Hunny was the definition of cheerful, hyper and sweet and Yuffie was everything he was. "Are you in line for the haunted house, too?"

I shook my head. "We're just looking around first."

"Hey, Yuffie. Are you sure you won't get scared?" Leon, who was dressed up as Takashi 'Mori' Morinozuka from the same anime as Hunny, asked.

"You dare deny the bravery of the Great Ninja Yuffie Kisaragi?" she gasped dramatically. "I hate you, Takashi!" she yelled as she punched his stomach. The tall man clutched his stomach from the impact, groaning in annoyance.

"Stop quoting from the anime already. Ugh, can I go change now?"

"No. A bet's a bet. And don't worry, you make an awesome Mori, Squallie!" she giggled while holding onto her pink stuffed bunny.

"Aerith, she said it again." A brown-haired woman's head popped out from behind the tall man and she had an innocent smile on her face.

"Yuffie, you promised to call Leon, Leon if he wore this costume. Please do as you said." She was cosplaying as Mimi Tachikawa from Digimon and according to me, it was a good choice. They looked a lot alike, it didn't seem hard for Aerith to cosplay as her.

The ninja nodded. "Sorry."

"Is it only the three of you?" Olette asked.

"No, Cloud, Zack and Tifa are here as well." Aerith said politely while pointing at two people who turned around at the sound of their names.

Tifa was dressed up as Tsunade Godaime from Naruto, Zack was Itsuki Koizumi from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Cloud was.. Pikachu?

"Aerith! Stop telling people it's me!" Cloud shouted as he blushed in embarassment. Hayner erupted in laughter as everyone else did as well. "Shut. Up."

"It's okay, Cloudie. You look adorable as Pikachu." Tifa cooed.

"Well, um, we'll be on our way, I guess." Pence said awkwardly.

We said our goodbyes and left the group, only to bump into another one along the way.

"Hey, watch it, moron." the Sasuke Uchiha cosplayer said rudely.

"You watch it, assh-" Vanitas began, though was interrupted when Sasuke smiled widely.

"That's not how Naruto acts like, Vanitas." he chuckled. A wave of shock washed over the black-haired boy's face.

"Hikari..?"

"Yup! Hey, why are you Naruto?"

"Why are you Sasuke, of all people!"

"Because I felt like it." he shrugged.

"Sora, why didn't you go as Daisuke Niwa? We could've been a couple!" Kairi exclaimed while running towards said Sora.

Sora scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, Kairi. I figured it would be kinda fun to go as Sasuke." While they were talking, I just came to realize who Kairi was cosplaying as.

"You're Riku from DNAngel!" I said, smiling widely.

"That's right! It's good to know another person who likes that anime, too, am I right?" she giggled, somewhat too exaggeratedly.

"Yeah! No one talks about it anymore, it makes me sad how e-" A dramatic gasp suddenly resounded, interrupting me in the middle of my sentence.

"R-Riku Miyano?" Olette walked up to him, just as shocked as Vanitas was. "You're.. Zero Kyriuu?" she fell to her knees. "Why are you Zero? WHY?"

"Because I'm beautiful." Hayner snorted, causing Riku to glare at him. "And you, my sweet, are Yuki Cross, are you not?" he held up a rose to her face.

"Riku, leave her alone," a girly voice demanded as the silver-haired man obeyed. I turned around to see Namine, dressed up as Maka from the hit anime Soul Eater. "Sorry about him, he.." she trailed off. "Oh, hello Xion."

"Hi, Namine," I allowed my lips to curve into a small smile. "I see you're Maka from Soul Eater! That's an awesome choice!"

"Thanks! Riku and I were supposed to be a pair, but they were out of Soul cosplays." I'm glad that things between us weren't awkward anymore. "Oh, and you made the perfect choice to be Rin Kagamine."

"You think so? Thanks."

"Well, mostly because Rox-"

"That witch! Did you guys see an evil-looking Alice anywhere?" Axel said in a panicked voice, scaring me half to death since he popped out of nowhere.

"You're Boris Airay from Heart no Kuni no Alice!" I exclaimed, my eyes sparkling. I love that mischevous, sneaky Cheshire Cat!

"Yep! But no time for pictures or anything, I can't find Larxene." he said before running off, cursing under his breath. Hm, wonder what Larxene did to make him so angry and scared.

"Well, this was a rather shocking moment, but we'll be on our way now." Vanitas said as he began to walk away.

"Wait, speaking of blondes, is Roxas here?" I asked.

Namine nodded. "Did he tell you about.. what'll happen in a few weeks?"

"What? What'll happen? Is there something wro-"

"Come on, Xion! We're leaving!" Hayner shouted. I looked at the blue-eyed blonde one last time, who gave me no answer, so I walked back to my group of buddies. We waved bye to the group and continued our path, however, the smell of cake caught my attention. Thinking that my friends were following me, I followed the delicious smell and found myself in front of a dessert booth. I ordered some chocolate cake and savoured the sweet taste.

"So, where are we going next?" I asked. I received no answer, so I turned around to find none of my friends there. I finished my cake and walked around the place, telling myself not to panic.

Don't worry, Xion. You'll be fine, nothing's gonna happen to yo-

I fell to the ground when someone bumped into me. I looked up to see Len Kagamine, Rin's twin or what people call 'mirror image'. And that was why our clothes weren't that different. The only differences were: I had on some black mid-thigh shorts and he had knee-length shorts, my shirt was sleeveless with a yellow ribbon hung loosely on my collar and he had sleeves that went three inches above the elbow with a yellow tie on his collar, and lastly, I had a white ribbon in my hair while he had white headphones. The person held out his hand, in which I accepted, to help me get back up on my feet.

"Hey, wait. Xion, is that you?" the boy asked.

"Roxas?" I asked. "I-I.. Sorry for bumping into you!" he chuckled.

"No, it was my fault. I should be the one saying sorry." he smiled. "So, did you come here all by yourself?"

I shook my head. "I got seperated from my friends because of.. cake." I mentally slapped myself once I realized how stupid that sounded like.

"I got seperated, too. Hey, why don't we spend the rest of the day together?"

That last question made my heart beat increase. To spend the rest of the day with Roxas would be amazing and maybe.. I could tell him how I feel if I ever get the chance to.

"S-Sure!" he then grabbed my hand unexpectedly, causing my cheeks to grow warm.

"Come on, then! We could go play some games and stuff," he gave me that dazzling smile of his that always made my heart melt. "And don't let go of my hand. We're Rin and Len Kagamine, aren't we? We could never get seperated."

While walking hand in hand through the festival with Roxas, he abruptly stopped in his tracks, making me bump into his back.

"A shooting game! Mind if I play?" Roxas asked. I nodded as I followed him to the game booth.

"All you have to do is hit an item with the cork from this gun. Think you can do it?" the man at the booth explained, handing Roxas the weapon.

"Xion, anything you want up there?" the sunshine-haired boy asked, holding the gun up to his face. I checked each stuffed toy that rested atop the shelves, only one catching my attention.

"That golden teddy bear," I giggled. "Because it looks like you." I said it the exact same way he did at the amusement park when he won that black bunny. He laughed lightly before his face twisted into one of concentration. He breathed steadily, aiming the gun and making sure not to move a single muscle.

_POW!_

The cork that flew out of the gun hit the sunshine-colored teddy bear as the man congratulated him. He handed the bear to Roxas, who gave it to me shyly, as if he was a little boy giving a flower to the girl he liked.

"Thank you." I said, gently taking the toy out of his hands. He eyed the teddy bear curiously.

"Do I.. really look like that?" he pointed at it. The bear had a face that looked like **:3**, reminding me so much of the blonde I was talking to whenever he was really happy or playing innocent.

"What's so bad about it? It's adorable." I said, hugging it tighter. I blushed when I realized just what I said. I called him adorable.. indirectly.

"I guess it is." Well, Roxas is dense; almost as dense as Sora. He probably didn't catch it. Probably.

We walked over to the booth beside this one, which happened to be my favorite activity at festivals.

"How do you play this?" Roxas asked, waving his net around like it was a tennis racket.

"You see those fish in the water?" I said, pointing at the gold fishes swimming freely in the little pool. "You take a flat net and flip the fish out. Simple as that!" I did just that and the woman taking care of the booth gave me a plastic bag with a gold fish in it. I happily took it and laughed at Roxas's surprised face.

"You make it sound so easy!" he exclaimed, failing to flip the fish out for the tenth time. "Argh, I give up!"

I laughed lightly. "Here, you can have mine then. You've already done so much for me, just take it." He happily took the bag out of my hands and smiled at it. We walked away from the booth and noticed that there was no line for the wishing papers.

"That's funny, there are always people lining up for this," I said out loud. "Roxas.. can I go make a wish?"

"I was about to ask you the same question." we walked towards the little booth as the owner gave us both a pen and a strand of paper. "What are you gonna wish for?"

"I'm not telling you, it won't come true if I do!"

**I wish to have enough courage to tell Roxas that I love him... - Xion Uchida**

I walked up to the nearest bamboo pole and tied my wish around it carefully, hoping not to rip it. The blonde tied his right above mine as he smiled to himself.

"Thank goodness, I ripped my wish last year." he sighed in relief.

"Really? So did I!" we both laughed at each other. "They say that if you rip it, you'll get bad luck throughout the whole year."

"Well, they were wrong. I had good luck all year, but I had the most luck two months ago."

"Why?"

"Because I met you." he lightly kissed my cheek before walking off. I stood frozen in place, touching the cheek he kissed.

"H-Hey! Wait up, Roxas!"

The rest of the night, Roxas and I walked all around the festival hand in hand. We ate different kinds of food and drinks we haven't tried in the past, like fried corn, cherry blossom rice cakes and genmaicha tea (tea with roasted grains of rice). We played as many games as possible and I almost got a heart attack when Roxas tricked me into entering the haunted house. And as girly as it sounds, we even bought matching keychains that looked like Paopu fruits so that 'our destinies would become intertwined and we'll be a part of each other's lives forever, as said by Roxas.

Just being by my side, Roxas made me feel like I was on top of the world, and I couldn't go any higher because that's all I could ever ask for.

"The fireworks are gonna start in a few minutes," the Len Kagamine cosplayer stated. "Come on, I know a place where we could watch them from!"

"The clock tower?" I asked, finishing off the rest of my cotton candy.

"The clock tower closes at nine. I know a better place!" he stopped, then yanked a hankerchief out of his pocket. He covered my eyes with the cloth, darkness surrounding me. "I forgot; it's a surprise, so you can't peak!"

The sound of music and people talking grew quieter every step we took. Instead, it was replaced by the melodious sound of crickets cherping and the sighing of the wind. Leaves rustled around us and the sound of Roxas's steady breathing made me feel safe and secure. He untied the hankerchief and allowed my blue eyes to open. I stared in awe at the beautiful view before me. We were standing on a dock by the lake and the reflection of the stars in the water gave off an innocent touch. The pearl white moon was as bright as ever and Roxas's smile made everything all the more better.

"It's beautiful! You always find the best places, you know that?" I sat down with my legs swinging back and forth. The blonde sat next to me with his legs hanging firmly below the dock and his arms on both sides of his waist.

"I know."

An explosion was heard in the distance, splashing colors of golden yellow all over the dark sky. An explosion of lime green followed suit, then red and soon enough, the sky was being painted with all sorts of bright, neon colors. The crowd in the distance watched in amazement as a cherry red firework in the shape of a heart exploded, symbolizing luck for a summer romance.

"Um, Roxas.." I began, cutting the silence between us and gathering as much confidence as I can. "I have something to tell you. I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now.."

"I have something to tell you, too." he said. My confidence vanished immediately after he said that.

"Y-You first."

"Alright.." he took a deep breath, avoiding eye contact. I figured he was nervous as well. "Remember that night at the beach? When I said I needed to tell you something important?" I nodded my head for him to keep going. "I don't know how to say it.. but.."

My heart beat increased and butterflies began to flutter in my stomach. This was it!

"Xion.. I'm moving to Traverse Town."

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><p>Bet you weren't expecting that! I really hope you guys liked this extra long chapter because.. this took me three days to finish typing. -.- Since there wasn't a lot of RokuShion scenes, I added a little bit of fluff when they were together, but not too much to make it seem rushed. :)<p>

By the way, about the Birth by Sleep reference: Vanitas means vanity or emptiness in Latin, whereas Kyoei means vanity in Japanese.

Please review!


	21. Date

SORRY FOR THE LATE CHAPTER! D':

School. Exams. Homework. Stress. Basically my whole month in four words. My teachers are KILLING me.

Anyways- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! They make me feel so happy to know that you are all still reading this story, even though I update slowly. Thank you. :)

* * *

><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 21

Date

_"Xion.. I'm moving to Traverse Town." he said._

_"W-What?" I stuttered. I felt a lump in my throat and my eyes were beginning to burn. So, this was what Namine was talking about._

_"I'm moving," he sighed. "My dad's work is making him transfer there. If we don't go, then.."_

_"I understand," my voice cracked. "W-When are you leaving?"_

_"In a month.."_

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><p>Recalling that night, I fell onto my bed, even though it was broad daylight, and sighed. Roxas.. is moving to a town that is about five hours away. I buried my face onto my pillow and screamed, angry that he didn't tell me earlier and sad at how things were at the moment. Everything seemed so perfect for once in my life.<p>

Suddenly, I heard slight tapping from my window. Afraid, I picked up an umbrella and slowly walked over to it as my heart beat increased dramatically. I opened up my curtains and sighed in relief to find no one there. It was just my-

**TAP.**

A stone hit my window. Then, another one and another one. I looked down to see a boy with spiky golden locks and striking blue eyes. I opened up my window, my face still looking depressed, while Roxas wore a happy-go-lucky smile that only he could muster. Well, besides Sora of course.

"Roxas?" I said in a monotone. "What're you doing here?"

He held out a bouquet of roses. "Xion Uchida! Would you do the honor of going out on a date with me?"

I twitched. "Could you get any cheesier?" I looked around the street reluctantly, hoping no one was watching.

"If you want me to!" he winked. I facepalmed and ran down the stairs hurriedly before he could say anything else. I burst through the door and walked up to the blonde, who was still smiling widely. "So, would you like to accompany me this fine day, my dear?"

"Um, are you okay?" I asked, clamping my palm onto his forehead.

"I'm more than okay because you're here, with me."

"Oh-kay," I said, confused by his weird behavior. "So, what do you wanna do today?"

He paused, then blanched. "Dude, I'm not gonna say that!"

"..Say what?"

He grinned. "Nothing. Nothing at all, Xion dear. So, shall we.. what? I mean, walk down this road together?" And then, I saw it.

"Give it to me," I said as I held my right hand out. "I saw that thing in your ear." He sighed and gave the device to me.

"Roxy, next say, 'I am Seaking to Rhydon you.' Haha! Get it? They're Pokemon! I heard it from Demyx, it's a real knockout!" a playful voice said from the other side as laughter soon followed.

"Hello, Axel." I simply said.

There was a moment of silence. "..Hello, Shi-Shi," he laughed nervously. "I'm.. guessing you heard that."

"You guessed right."

"Um, yeah.." he said awkwardly. "I'm gonna go now."

"Yeah. You do that." I shoved the item into my pocket and looked up at the sunshine-haired boy. "Seriously, Roxas?"

His face flushed. "What? Axel said girls were into these kinds of things."

"Yeah, well not me." I giggled. "And yes."

"What?"

"Yes for the date."

"O-Oh! Really?" I nodded, grinning. "Awesome! Erhm.." he checked his watch and his eyes widened. "Crap! We're gonna miss the train, come on!"

He grabbed my wrist and ran in the direction of Station Plaza. "Train? Where are we going?"

"The beach! I already have the tickets, don't worry!"

"But.. I can't swim!"

"Don't worry, we're not going swimming! We could just walk around, eat ice cream and all that." I smiled.

We reached the train station in no time, and right before the train was about to leave. We played childish games like 'I Spy' and 'Category', but our game was cut short since we arrived faster than expected. We hopped off the train and watched it disappear into the distance.

The blonde and I walked along the sandy beach in silence, soaking in the warmth of the sun and just listening to the sighing wind and the laughter of the children. A little farther into the island, we came across another part of it; there were a bunch of palm trees, a little waterfall with fresh water flowing out from it and many other things. There was even a raft by the water.

"Go get some mushrooms! I'll give you a hint: they're usually found in shady places!" a little girl with short hair said to a boy with brown hair.

The little boy pouted. "Why do I have to get them?" he whined.

"Because you didn't do much! Go get them already!" she demanded, giggling.

I giggled as well as Roxas and I passed by them. "I don't know about you.. but they kinda remind me of Sora and Kairi."

"Actually.. yeah. They act the same way." he chuckled. The blonde then halted to a stop and looked up. "What the heck?"

I followed his gaze. "..A zip line? Why is there one here?"

"It's for racing." Roxas and I turned around to see the little brown-haired boy from before. "Me and my best friend race a lot. You guys could use it if you want to!"

The sunshine-haired boy and I glanced at each other. "Loser buys the ice cream?"

"You're on." I said, grinning.

The chocolate-haired boy led us to the starting line. "You have to touch the star on the other end of the island and come back! First one to come is the winner!" I went into my running stance, and so did my companion. "Ready.. set.. GO!"

* * *

><p>"I let you win on purpose!" Roxas defended. "Don't you see me in PE? I'm the fastest runner among the boys!"<p>

"Yeah, right!" I smirked. "Face it; I'm way faster than you! And way awesomer." he coughed jokingly as he handed me my blue ice cream.

We walked all around the play island, talking about nonsense and making lame jokes. Axel and Demyx called every now and then, making such stupid comments like, "NAME YOUR KID AFTER ME!" or "Don't do anything naughty, kiddies." It created an awkward atmosphere at the first few calls, but we eventually got used to it and we'd laugh it off.

"Roxas? What're you doing?" I asked, shoving my ice cream stick into my pocket because there weren't any trash bins in sight. He held out his hand for me to take.

"Come on," he said. I took it and he led me into a dark cave. "Don't worry, I found this place when I was younger. There aren't any dead bodies or anything." I gulped. There better not be.

We walked deeper into the cave and soon enough, we reached the end of it. I stared in awe at the various drawings on the rocks and the walls, turning around to grin at the artist.

"Heh, you see, I found this cave when I was younger. This is the first place I'd go to whenever I came to the beach with my parents," he chuckled. "Sorry about the stupid drawings. I was five."

"No, no.. They're pretty good," I said sincerely. I then picked up a sharp rock from the ground and knealt down. "Do you mind if I draw..?"

He picked up an equally sharp rock. "Go ahead. I'll be adding a few more drawings myself."

First, I made a drawing of the curved palm tree, recalling that night Roxas and I almost shared a Paopu fruit. I remember feeling the butterflies in my stomach, as well as the heat that grew on my face. Then, I drew a sun, recalling those afternoons we spent watching the sunset. When I finished, I stepped back to admire my not-so-great work, but I was still happy that I at least engraved some memories in this cave. I turned around to see Roxas's work to find a well-drawn picture of a smiling girl with short hair, facing sideways.

"Wow! That's really.." my eyes widened. "That's supposed to be me, right?"

He nodded. "Yup! Wanna draw me now?"

I nodded and knealt down next to the blonde. I scratched the stone a bunch of times, trying to get the right details and such. His hair was the hardest to make, to say the least; all those spikes going in all sorts of directions. I was done drawing him, but I decided to add a little something else. When I finished, I moved aside for him to see, studying his face for any sign of annoyance or awkwardness. Maybe it was too much..?

"Oh, I get it!" he snapped his fingers. "We're sharing a Paopu fruit!" he smiled. No sign of annoyance or awkwardness, just happiness- phew!

We stayed a a while longer, chatting and drawing all over the Secret Place. We then exited and walked around the little island some more. I was having such a good time, until.. I saw a patch of orange behind a pack of leaves.

"Hey, Xion? I'm gonna get more ice cream. I'll be right back!" he ran off rapidly, as if he'd die in a minute if he didn't get any. When he was out of sight, I creeped around the corner- like a ninja, haha- and stood behind the bush, where three familiar people were huddled up and looking through the bush.

"Guys, shut up! Who knows what Xion'll do if she finds us!"

"What the..? Great! We lost them! Thanks a lot!"

"Oh, it's my fault now?"

"I was talking to Pence!"

"What'd I do? Besides, you dragged me here! I didn't wanna go in the first place!"

"Hey, who're you guys looking for?" I asked.

"Oh, this black-haired girl and this blonde kid."

"Really? Would their names happen to be Xion and Roxas?"

"Yup! Hey, how'd you.." the blonde I was currently talking to trailed off. Then gulped and turned around. The two other people he was with turned around as well.

Then, they screamed.

"OH, MY GOSH. WHAT THE- AH! HOW DID YOU- WHEN DID YOU..? AH!" Hayner screamed like some little girl.

"SHUT UP, YOU'RE MAKING IT SOUND LIKE I'M RAPING YOU," I said, covering his mouth. My hand soon retreated. "Ew, don't lick my hand! Man, you're as nasty as ever." I said, wiping my wet hand onto his shirt.

"..So.. you.. were here the whole time?" Pence asked nervously.

"Not the 'whole whole' time. But, I heard a few things," I growled. "Now. What the hell. Are you guys. DOING HERE, SPYING ON ME AND ROXAS?"

They all started bowing so fast I thought their heads would fall off. "WE'RE SORRY!" they said as the same time.

"We didn't mean to! I-I mean, we.." Olette trailed off. "It was all Hayner's idea!"

Hayner, who was nodding the whole time, froze and glared daggers at the brunette. "Hey, you guys agreed!"

"Well, only because you said that if we didn't, you'd-"

"YOU KNOW WHAT? JUST GO HOME. PLEASE." I said, massaging my temples.

"Wow, Shi. You seem so.. mean and bossy today," Hayner smirked. "That time of the month?"

**SLAP!**

"OW!" he rubbed his reddening cheek. "It was a joke!"

"It wasn't a good one, at that," I sighed. "Just.. please go back to Twilight Town."

"Alright. We're sorry," Pence spoke for everyone. "Oh, and have fun on your date. Erhm.. not that kind of fun. I meant as in-"

"OKAY, BYE!" I said, pushing them towards the train station.

I walked back to my previous location, seeing Roxas munch on his ice cream with a confused look on his face. He sped up to me the moment he saw me.

"There you are! Don't just leave like that! You scared me to death!" he said, clutching his heart. I apologized and made up some excuse about how the brown-haired kid from before needed my help. He believed me, thankfully.

The two of us sat on top of the curved palm tree once we noticed that the sun was beginning to set. The sky was now painted with the vibrant colors of red, yellow, orange, violet and blue. It was an amazing sight; it brought all the other sunsets to shame.

I watched the sunset with deep sadness in my eyes, and Roxas somehow notcied.

"Xion? What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"I'm gonna miss this," I whispered, looking down. "Once you leave.." I turned my head to face him, to find no one there. I looked around in confusion. "Uh.. R-Roxas?"

"Up here!" I looked up to find the golden-haired boy climbing down with something in his hands. He hopped back onto his previous spot and grinned. "Don't worry about me moving."

"You mean.. you want to.."

"Share one with you," he smiled, moving closer to me. "I want the two of us to be a part of each other's lives forever." I smiled.

We inched closer to the Paopu fruit, ready to take a bite out of it. I opened my mouth, as well as Roxas, and slowly took a bite of it. The legendary fruit had a tangy zing to it; it had its own unique taste- just like sea salt ice cream. I swallowed the piece in my mouth, missing the delicious taste already. I smiled brightly at Roxas, who returned the smile.

"Now our destinies are intertwined," he said. "We'll see each other again one day."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

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><p><strong>NO ONE'S POV<strong>

"Yes! Told you they'd share one!" Olette cheered, pumping a fist in the air. "Pay up, you two!"

Cursing under their breath, Hayner and Pence pulled out a handful of coins and handed it to the brunette.

"Dang it. I was so sure they wouldn't." Hayner said, plopping onto the sand.

"It's alright. It's only 5 munny," Pence said. "They just better invite us to their wedding."

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><p>WOAH, TWO MONTHS WITHOUT AN UPDATE? I'M SO SORRY! D':<p>

YOU MUST ALL HATE ME SO MUCH RIGHT NOW. You're all so nice to me, but I can't even update fast to return the favor. *cries* I'll try my best to update faster, I will! There are only five chapters left!

Again, I would like to thank you all for the reviews! I never thought I'd get this many, and it fills me up with pure happiness to know that you're all enjoying this story! **Thank you all, I love you guys! :)**


	22. Goodbye

Weeeeeeell, I guess I deserve an award for "WORST UPDATER IN THE UNIVERSE." I'm EXTREMELY sorry for the long wait! D': I was distracted by so many things this month! There's school (obviously), I started playing Final Fantasy: Crisis Core again (Zack.. TT^TT), read The Hunger Games trilogy (which is AMAZING, by the way) and watched THG movie (which was EPIC). OH AND IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE HUNGER GAMES BOOKS, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! I honestly couldn't stop reading. When I did, I would get back to it after what- five minutes? It's just.. wow. You guys should read it! And if you already did.. iloveyou. LOL

One last thing: thank you thank you thank you thank you for the reviews! :) They make me so happy and you guys are so nice leaving me these encouraging words, but I can't even return the favor.. ;_;

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 22

Goodbye

Many weeks had passed since the day Roxas and I went to the beach.

I scolded Hayner, Pence and Olette when I saw them a few days ago, but they just grinned at me innocently and saying things like, "What can you possibly be talking about, dearest best friend?" And when Hayner started making jokes about Paopu fruits and intertwined destinies, there was no doubt in my mind that they saw me and Roxas sharing one. But, it didn't matter anymore. They could joke about it all they want, at least it would remind me of Roxas and of the time we shared the legendary fruit once he leaves.

Which is today.

Roxas's last day in Twilight Town.

I feel my heart breaking whenever I think of the day we officially met.

_"Well.. my friend Vanitas is supposed to teach me, but he's sick."_

_"Really?" he said. "..I could teach you if you want."_

_"Hmm.." I placed a finger on my chin, pretending to think. After three seconds, I looked at his blue eyes. "No."_

A soft giggle escaped my lips, and the laughter of children joined in afterwards. I looked to my right and stared at them with jealousy in my eyes. Their life was so simple, if only I could go back to those days.

I passed the park and continued my route to Roxas's house. I know he lives like, what- seven houses away from mine? But, I took the long way. I wanted some time to think. After the park, came the market place. I passed by the cosplay shop where I bought my Rin Kagamine cosplay. One look at that shop reminded me of the Starry Skies Festival. When Roxas and I were the Kagamine twins.. when we spent the whole day together.. how beautiful the star-filled sky looked.. I'd do anything to re-live that day- minus the part when Roxas told me he was moving. Because that just ruined my day. Completely. Ruined. My. Day.

I decided to buy a sea salt ice cream and eat it on my way. As I walked, the ice cream tasted extremely salty, as if the woman accidentally knocked over a thousand pounds of salt into the mixture. I ate it anyway, reminding me of all those lazy afternoons we spent, watching the sunset on the clock tower. I reached into my pocket to make sure I brought the WINNER stick, which I did. That brought another memory into my head: the Struggle Tournament. He gave me the blue crystal from his trophy. That crystal that reflected the sun's rays, oh and the color of the sky that day was so beautiful. We had sea salt ice cream, as usual. That last thought made me sad however because when he leaves.. I'd have no one to eat ice cream with. No one to laugh or talk or joke around with. I'm all alone.

I threw my WINNER-less stick in the nearest garbage can and walked past a shop that sold stuffed animals. A stuffed pink bunny caught my eye and here comes another flashback. That day at the amusement park. When he won that black bunny at the shooting game because he said it looked like me. And that made me think of my golden stuffed toy back at home. Plus one item that reminded me of Roxas.

Hm, what else? Oh, that day at the beach. When we both touched each other's hands while reaching for the same seashell. But, what never fails to put a blush on my face: when I drowned. And he performed CPR on me. Argh, I could feel my face getting hot. Dang it. But, don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful; he saved my life.

Soon enough, I could see the cream-colored house in the distance. The sign that read, "SOLD!" stood on the grass, mocking me, as if it read, "HAHA! WHEN ROXAS LEAVES, YOU'LL BE FOREVER ALONE!" I was extremely tempted to kick it, but punches would soon join in. As well as throwing it around. And it wouldn't be very pretty.

I walked up to the porch and rang the doorbell. The last few hours with him. I sighed.

The door swung open and the blonde I was looking for opened it up. He had a sad smile pasted on his face.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," I greeted back. "Last few hours, eh?"

"Yup," he sighed. "Well, I don't want that thought to ruin our day. Let's have as much fun as we can today."

_What kind of fun?_ I could hear Axel say, giggling with Hayner and Demyx.

"All right," I forced a smile. "So, what's the plan for today? New place?"

He grinned. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess." I laughed half-heartedly.

"Come on, it's a really nice place. Really peaceful and all." he locked the door and walked ahead as I trailed behind him. I walked a tad bit faster- just to get to his side. We walked in silence for a while until I finally decided to break the ice.

"You said you didn't want the thought of you moving ruin our day, but your tone of voice and lack of conversation really doesn't make the day any better." I said in full honesty.

He frowned. "I'm sorry, Xion. I'll let that thought slip out of my mind. I'll pretend it's a normal day-"

"Don't pretend it's a normal day. It is a normal day."

He chuckled. "All right. It's a normal day. Come on, hurry up. I really wanna get there fast since we don't have much time," he smiled. "You'll love it, trust me." he said confidently.

I ran behind Roxas, trying to catch up with him. I guess he actually did let me win when we raced at the beach, he's freaking fast. Like the speed of light. All of a sudden, he halted to a stop, making me bump into him.

"Ow! Geez, why'd you stop so.." I trailed off, staring at the wall before me. There was a huge crack on it and behind it was a green forest. A little farther into it was an abandoned mansion. Some people say it's haunted, others say you could see a girl through the window. Just thinking of that sent chills down my spine. "The old mansion? That's.. the spot?"

He shook his head. "Nope, behind it."

"..Behind it," I repeated. "Geez, what made you go behind the mansion?"

"I got bored one day-" Really. You go screwing around scary, abandoned places when you're bored. Right. "-so I decided to explore that place. I wanted to see if there was really a girl in that mansion, like what people say. So, while looking around, I fell through this hole and ended up behind the mansion. Simple as that."

"..Was there a girl.. in the mansion..?" I shivered.

"Nah. All lies. 'Cept this one time, I started freaking out. When you enter the mansion, there's a picture of a cute girl hanging on the wall on the right. You know, those little girls in dresses and bows and perfectly coiffed hair. Anyways, I walked into the mansion one day just to relax for a little bit. I took a quick glance at the picture on my way there. And here's the creepy part- when I was leaving the mansion, I took another glance at the picture, but when I did.. the girl was gone." WHAT. THE. HECK.

"Roxas, you better be kidding because I'm really freaked out right now," I twitched. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"I'm not, I swear!" he said, waving his hands before him. "Another wonder to add to the list."

"You're kidding. That's not possible."

He shrugged. "Well, it only happened once. And it is pretty unbelievable, guess I can't blame you for not believing me."

"All right. Cause I don't." I laughed.

We ran past the forest in full speed because, frankly, it seemed really creepy. As if some psycho murderer would jump out of nowhere and kill me. Roxas and I were standing in front of the gate, where a huge lock kept it shut. The blonde cupped his hands together and knealt down next to the wall.

"Come on, I'll give you a boost. You can climb down the wall, right?" he asked. I nodded and accepted his help. I went over the fence without a sweat.

"Wait. How will you get-" the golden-haired boy jumped over the fence and landed flawlessly before me. "-nevermind."

I held onto his shirt as if I was a scared little kid holding onto her mommy's dress in order not to get lost. We entered the abandoned building and I refused to look to my right, so that I wouldn't see the picture of the little girl. His story really got to me. We walked a little farther and Roxas just stared in confusion.

"Huh? Wasn't the trap h- AH!" he screeched and we were both suddenly sliding down some steep slide. I closed my eyes, waiting for the scary ride to end. "Yes! I see light! Don't worry, Xion, just three more seconds!" He was right. And we hit the ground really hard.

"I've had softer landings." Roxas said, scratching the back of his head.

I didn't laugh at what he said, nor did I even smile. I stared in awe at the sight before my eyes. We were in a meadow. The ground had a blanket of soft, green grass and a small waterfall with sparkling water. Little white daisies were in full bloom and the air- I inhaled deeply- was fresh and carried a bit of the daisies's aroma. It was beautiful.

"Roxas," I began, smiling widely. "It's amazing!"

He flashed me a perfect smile. "I knew you would like it."

I lied on the grass, watching the clouds roll by. Roxas lied next to me and joined in.

"Hey. You see that one?" I asked, pointing up at a cloud that looked like a pig.

"Which one?"

"The one next to that huge cloud. The one on its left."

"Oh! I see it! What about it?"

"It looks like you."

"But.. it looks like a.. cow-pig-thing."

"Yeah. Therefore, it looks like you." I giggled.

"Haha. That's so funny." he said sarcastically before laughing.

It continued like that; us pointing up at clouds and commenting on each one. I looked to my side and plucked a daisy from the ground.

Will Roxas and I always be friends?

I pulled a petal from the daisy. Yes. Then another. No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes..

No.

I frowned at the flower and threw its stem away. Stupid daisy.

"You do that, too?" Roxas asked out of the blue.

"Do what?"

"'He loves me, he loves me not.'"

"Huh? No. It wasn't that," I said. "I did a 'Will.. I.. ever get that video game I've been wanting to get.. for a long time now?'"

"You know, you're not very good at lying."

"Okay, fine," I sighed. "'Will Roxas and I always be friends?'"

"I'm guessing the result was a no."

I nodded sadly. "Bingo."

"Xion, don't let a flower decide that for us. Our destinies are intertwined, remember? We'll always be friends." he smiled and I couldn't help smiling back.

We left the meadow at around five in the afternoon. I decided to take a glance at the picture and thankfully, the girl was there. Phew. No heart attack. We walked to the sea salt ice cream stand and ordered two.

"Oh, wait!" I exclaimed. I dug my hand into my pocket and yanked out the WINNER stick. "Here you go!" I handed the stick to Roxas, who stared at it in amazement.

"You got a WINNER stick?" he asked, his eyes still locked on the item.

"Yeah, about two months ago. I was supposed to give it to you on the day of the Struggle Tournament, but I forgot." I replied, chuckling.

"Awesome! A free ice cream!" he grinned. He handed the stick to the kind woman and she handed us two instead.

"Huh? Two? Why two?" Roxas asked, handing me one of them.

"It's your last day here, isn't it, Roxas?" she asked as the blonde nodded. "It's on the house."

"Thank you!" Roxas exclaimed. We then turned on our heel and walked to Station Plaza. We looked up at the clock tower with sad faces, both knowing that this might be the last time we'll ever eat ice cream while watching the sunset together. Both of us took one step, then another, then another, until the stairs that lead to the top were in sight. We climbed up the stairs in silence, all the while avoiding eye contact, which is a good thing because I could already feel the tears flooding my eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, we reached the top of the tower; the sun looking as bright as ever. We took our usual spots on the edge and unwrapped our frozen treat.

I took a bite out of it. Salty. So very salty.

"I'm gonna miss this." Roxas said out of the blue.

"Same here." I replied solemnly.

"What do you mean? You're staying here, you could eat sea salt ice cream any time you want."

"I meant, I'm gonna miss doing this.. with you."

"Oh," was his short reply. "By the way.. I'm sorry."

I blinked. "For.. what?"

"I never taught you how to do a 360 flip. I promised you I would."

"It doesn't matter. You taught me a bunch of other tricks and all those nice things you've done for me make up for it."

"I'll teach it to you when we see each other again."

"But.. what if we.." I didn't even want to finish that sentence.

"No. We'll see each other again, all right? I promise, and that's a promise I'm willing to keep."

"All right. And promise we'll never forget each other?" he nodded. Gingerly, he handed me a crumpled up piece of paper. I unfolded it and a mailing address was neatly written on it.

"I was hoping we could at least stay in touch. It's my new PO box, I guess we could send each other letters."

I smiled sadly. "Sure."

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><p>In the end, we didn't get to stay very long. Roxas's dad called him about forty minutes after we arrived, saying that they would be leaving earlier than they were supposed to.<p>

And now, here we are; saying our final goodbyes.

"So.. I guess this is goodbye," Roxas said in a whisper. "I know we haven't known each other very long, but all those times we've spent together.. they never failed to put a smile on my face."

"Quit the cheesy act," I said. "I wanna hear stuff that don't sound like they've been rehearsed in front of the mirror thousands of times. I wanna hear Roxas right now."

He sighed. "All right," he ran a hand through his golden spikes. "Well.. goodbye, Xion Uchida. I.. I.. I'm really gonna miss you. I don't know how long it will take until we see each other again, but like I said- I promise I'll never forget you." I was about to say something, until he cut me off. "No, I did not rehearse that." Heh, he read my mind.

"That's what I wanted to hear," I smiled. "Goodbye, Roxas Uchiyama. I'll always remember you."

He wrapped his arms around me, startling me at first. But when my senses finally came to me, I returned the hug and blinked the tears that were about fall away. When we released each other, we smiled at each other one last time and Roxas turned around, walking in the direction of his house.

What am I doing?

It can't end like this. It can't.

"R-Roxas!" I yelled in a shaky voice as I ran towards him. The sunshine-haired boy stopped in his tracks and turned around.

Before he could say anything, I was already on my tippy toes, locking my lips with his. It was an innocent kiss, not too passionate, but enough to make me feel like I was soaring- on top of the world- an indescribable feeling. When our lips seperated, our hands intertwined, me never wanting to let go. I looked into his ocean blue eyes and whispered those three powerful words.

"I love you."

His smile was as dazzling as ever. "I love you, too."

Those were the last words we exchanged before regrettably letting go each other's hands.

And all I was able to do was watch him walk farther and farther; slowly slipping away from me.

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><p>Why is it that when there aren't many chapters left to write, that's when I become extremely lazy and busy? -.-<p>

By the way, the disappearing girl in the picture thing.. that's from Crisis Core, LOL.

Next chapter: soon. Not sure when. But soon. D:

Review? :) Please tell me I'm forgiven. ;_;


	23. Missing You

..OMG, OVER 300 REVIEWS? I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! I ADORE YOU GUYS! YOU GUYS ARE THE MOST AMAZING PEOPLE IN THE UNIVERSE. Even though it takes me FOREVER to update one chapter, you guys are very patient and I thank you so much for that! And a SPECIAL thanks to those who review! You guys are the best!

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 23

Missing You

_Thud._

I quickly picked up the blue crystal that created the noise.

I observed it anxiously, praying that the sudden fall didn't make a scratch or a dent. I sighed in relief when I didn't spot any. Phew. I carefully placed it on my desk, next to a familiar golden teddy bear. I frowned.

Had it really been five months since Roxas left?

I looked out my window, watching the white snowflakes dance in the wind before falling to the ground. Watching the children play in the snow. Watching couples walk by holding hands..

Argh, quit it, Xion! He's gone!

We still contact each other via e-mail and letters, but it's just not the same. I wanna hear his voice, hug him, eat ice cream together again..

_Click._

I opened up my inbox. He hadn't replied to my e-mail yet. Or any of the fourteen letters I've sent him. He must be really busy. I wonder what he's doing. I just hope he hadn't forgotten about me.

I looked out the window a second time. My friends aren't able to hang out today. Olette is babysitting, Pence is working at the bakery, Hayner is a lazy idiot who'd much rather stay at home than go anywhere today and Vanitas doesn't feel like it. If he doesn't feel like it.. He. Doesn't. Feel. Like. It. Period.

I opened the e-mail tab every five minutes, hoping there would be an e-mail waiting for me. But no luck.

I turned to my bed, where my scarf, earmuffs and jacket lay. If I couldn't see Roxas right now.. I guess I could 're-collect' some of our memories. I stood up and headed over to my bed. I grabbed my winter things and walked out of my house as the coldness of the winter air ran through my soul. I walked down my neighborhood, smiling as I passed by the place where we first met. Where he handed me my skateboard when it rolled all the way to him.

I smiled at the memory, but it quickly turned into a frown when I passed by Roxas's old house. We lived next to each other since I moved here in Twilight Town (when I was five), but it was only this year when we actually started talking. Wait. I'm pretty sure we talked once when we were six. But.. that's it. I facepalmed. How depressing.

I then decided to pass by the Market Place. I spotted Hello Cosplay, and that was when so many memories about the Starry Skies Festival flooded my mind. Our matching cosplays, all those cheesy things he said, the fireworks, the lake.. When he told me he was moving. The end of the day was horrible, but I just know that I will never forget it.

A few stores away was a store where you could buy things for the beach; swimsuits, surf boards, sand buckets and much more. This store reminded me of the beach. I felt my face grow warm when I thought about it. When he performed CPR on me, that night talking on the curved palm tree.. Until now, I'm still extremely grateful that he saved my life. And I still feel bad about slapping him. I think I may have slapped him a little too hard..

I giggled. Past the store, I went to buy something at the bakery Pence worked at.

I entered the store, faking a smile. "Hey, Pence!"

"Xion!" he exclaimed. "Hey! Sorry I couldn't hang out today."

"Nah, it's all good."

"By the way, our pork buns are half price today. Want one?"

I nodded. "That was what I was gonna buy."

He handed me a hot bun as I gave him the munny. "See you in a few days! Enjoy the last few days of winter break!"

"Thanks, you too."

I exited the small shop and continued my way. I unwrapped my food and took a bite out of it, savoring the taste and feeling warmer than ever. I passed by Twilight High and actually allowed a small smile to form on my lips. It reminded me of the stupid rumors (seriously, people actually believed in those? There were freaking unrealistic and uncreative. Good job on that, Namine!), those horrible days my friends ignored me, those lies (le cough).. So many things. This was a more peaceful year for me, but I won't ever forget What I've been through the last few weeks of school.

Afterwards, when I finished eating my pork bun, I went to the place where the Struggle Tournament was held at. This reminded me of the blue crystal that fell off my desk earlier. I'll always keep it, at least I have a little bit of the blonde with me.

I then decided to take a visit to the Old Mansion. I sneaked in and went through the trap, without looking at the picture, of course, hehe. I found myself in the meadow once again. Woah, this is the first I've been here without Roxas. I smiled and decided to lay on the snow to watch the clouds rolld by.. which was a fail, by the way. I was being buried by snow. So, I eventually left and continued walking.

I thought of all our other memories.. our date; when we shared the Paopu Fruit in Destiny Islands. All those stupid jokes we would tell each other on the clock tower. I miss those so much.

When my stomach decided to sing the song of its people, I went to buy some sea salt ice cream. The woman looked at me as if I grew a second head, cause really. Ice cream in the winter? Haha!

I took a bite. Salty.

Every ice cream I ate tasted salty every since Roxas's last day.

I guess it just tastes saltier when you're.. sad..

I entered the Train Station and walked up the steps to the to the top. I know it's extremely dangerous because it's all icy and slippery and I could die, but I haven't been there since October, I must go.

I opened the door and took one step and slipped. I'm not even kidding, I think I almost got a heart attack. I sat against the wall, because really- who would sit on the edge?

The breeze was quite cold and my ice cream didn't exactly help. But regardless, I still ate and all of this brought so many memories. Our skateboarding lessons, our lazy afternoons..

Roxas Uchiyama..

I miss you.

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><p><strong>ROXAS'S POV<strong>

"You _sure_ you can't come?" my new friend, Neku Sakuraba, asked from the other side of the phone.

"Yeah, one hundred percent." I replied.

"Good," he said. "I told them that if you aren't going, I'm not going either. I'd rather stay at home."

"I guess I could pass by later-"

"It's alright. I wanna spend it by myself." he hung up.

I smirked. That's Neku for you. Always doing things by himself, not wanting anyone's company..

After putting the phone back in its cradle, I accidentally knocked over a certain black stuffed toy. But because of my ninja skills, I caught it even before it was able to touch the floor. I placed it back on my side table and stared at it for a while.

Like I promised, I haven't forgotten about you yet, Xion.

It's impossible.

You're all I think about, even though it's already been what- four months? Five?

Even so, I will never forget all the amazing moments I've experienced after meeting Xion. The Starry Skies Festival, the trip to the beach, those skateboarding lessons, our afternoons on the clock tower.. I miss those. Just thinking of those small moments remind me of the time I was once so happy. Man, how dramatic and emo do I sound?

Stupid dad and his stupid job. Why'd we have to move?

I mean, Traverse Town is pretty cool, but everything is so far away from it. However, it's really nice here at night, the people are really nice as well, their school is really big and everything here is so modern and energetic. But there's just something about Twilight Town that makes it all the more special. Something about their sunsets, how everyone knew each other made it seem like we were a big family, their mysteries that kept you wondering and who could forget their famous sea salt ice cream? I miss all of that.

But most of all.. I miss her.

We still e-mail and send letters to each other, but I'd rather see her again in person. Hug her, maybe even ki..

"Roxas! Can you lend me a hand here?" my dad asked.

"Fine," I muttered, barely audibly as I scurried down the steps to the working room only to find my dad playing with wires. "What?"

"Why in such a bad mood?"

"I'm not in a bad mood."

"Yes, you ar-"

"No, I'm not!" I yelled. "So, what do you want?"

"You're still mad, aren't you?"

"You don't say."

He sighed. "Look, Roxas. I'm sorry ab-"

"I know," I said in an annoyed tone. "Any letters for me?"

"Not this week," Suddenly, the computer screen lit up. "Hey! It worked!"

"Whoopie," I said as I rolled my eyes. "So, you don't need my help anymore, right?"

He shook his head. "You could go back to doing whatever you were doing."

I ran up the stairs, annoyed for making him waste ninety seconds of my life that I could never get back. I may seem pretty mean to my dad, huh? Yeah, well, he only thought of himself for making us move to Traverse Town. Mom had such a hard time finding a job here and thanks a lot for making me the new kid at school. Thanks.

I sat down on my chair and rolled over to my desk. Let's see if there's anything interesting in my inbox today..

One e-mail from Xion Uchida.

_Click._

_**Don't worry about it. Just glad you answered.**_

_**It's winter break right now and none of my friends can hang out. My mom and dad went shopping and I didn't feel like tagging along. So, I'm all by myself right now. I was hoping you'd keep me company, but our times are different, so I don't think it would work.**_

_**Well.. hope I could see you again.**_

_**I miss you.**_

Dang it.. I hate the difference of the time in Twilight Town and here. When it's morning there, it's night here. And when it's morning here, it's night there. It's almost impossible to catch one another when we're both awake.

And I miss you, too, Xion.

More than you could ever know.

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><p>By the way, this chapter was supposed to be short. Just a preview of how lonely they feel without one another.<p>

And dayum, three more chapters left. :(

Review please!


	24. Letters

Almost summer break! YES. FINALLY. Argh, but I really enjoyed this year. ;A; It was probably my best year of high school. o.o Ahahaha, anyways, thanks for the reviews! And sorry sorry sorry sorry that the chapters are getting shorter, but we're near the end of this fanfic, there isn't much to write about anymore. xD

BY THE WAY, I was thinking of making an epilogue. Yes or no? :)

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><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 24

Letters

_Two years._

_Two long, painful, lonely years._

_I still remember you, Roxas._

_I wonder if you still remember me.._

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><p><strong>XION'S POV<strong>

I opened up my mailbox, expecting to find a letter. But it was empty.

No replies from Roxas.

It's been two years, is he really that busy? Am I sending it to the right address?

I sighed. Maybe they just got lost in the mail or something.

"Hey, Xion! You coming?" Pence shouted from afar.

I nodded. "Coming!" I took one last glance at my mailbox before running up to my group of friends. We walked down the peaceful neighborhood slowly and in silence, soaking in the sun's rays and hoping to kill some time.

"Anything from him?" Olette whispered into my ear.

"Nope." I replied sadly.

"Oooh, a secret?" Hayner smiled stupidly. "I wanna know! Oh, wait. IT'S ABOUT.. WHAT'S HIS NAME? RUCKSACK!"

I pounded him on the head. "ROXAS. NOT RUCKSACK, YOU IDIOT."

"Hey! I was close!" the blonde laughed.

"Aw, wittle Xion still remembers Uchiyama." Vanitas teased.

"So what!" I retorted.

"Paopu fruit~!" Pence sang. "We saw that, you know."

"I know, you guys WON'T SHUT UP ABOUT IT! GOSH, it's been two years!" I screamed, catching the attention of a few people.

"What Paopu fruit?" Vanitas asked. Oh, right. No one told him yet.

"Oh, on Destiny Islands, Ro- MMF!" before the blonde could finish his sentence, I covered his mouth with my hand and laughed nervously.

"Hehehe, anyways you know, the other day, I saw this-" I said, attempting to change the subject.

"You're terrible at trying to switch subjects, you know that?" Vanitas smirked. "And I'm pretty sure I know what Hayner was about to say. So, you guys shared a Paopu fruit, eh?"

I felt my face grow warm. "N-No, we didn't!"

"You're blushing."

"No, I'm not!"

"Come on, they just shared one because Roxas moved away." Olette defended.

"Yeah!" I said.

"You know, to be a part of each other's life no matter what?"

"Yeah!"

"So that they would see each other again one day."

"Yeah!"

"And they made out afterwards." a different voice said.

"Yea- WAIT, WHAT. HAYNER!"

"AHA, YOU SAID, 'YEAH!'" the sunshine-haired boy laughed, followed by everyone else.

"You jerks.." I mumbled.

"Come on, Shi. We're just kidding around!" Hayner laughed.

"Go screw yourself."

"Grow a sense of humor!" Pence exclaimed.

"Die."

"What did his lips taste like?" Vanitas smirked.

"Go get raped by a hippo."

After that last comment, they just stared at me with a face that perfectly read, "What the heck?". Tch, at least it shut them up.

"..Kay." the charcoal-haired teen replied.

"Time. TIME. TIME!" Hayner yelled.

"Eight," Pence answered. "Maybe in an hour, it'll be nightfall. I'm telling you, the sky looks amazing when it starts to fade to black."

We were all on our way to Sunset Terrace. Pence wouldn't shut up about it all week, so we all gave up and agreed. It wouldn't be as nice, since there were stars in the sky only once a year, but Pence said that if we were lucky, there would be shooting stars. If I do see one tonight, I'd know excactly what I would wish for. Come on.. isn't it obvious?

After a bit of time, we all finally made it to our destination. We all lied down on top of the hill, forming a circle.

"Time?" Olette asked.

"Eight forty five," Pence replied. "You're all looking up at the sky, right?"

"No, I'm looking at my shoes." Vanitas replied as he rolled his eyes.

"That's a yes," Pence chuckled. "In about fifteen minutes, the sky's gonna start to fade to black, it looks amazing, trust me."

And he was right.

It looked much more different if you were watching it from this angle. It started off with a tiny black hole in the middle of the sky, then it started to get bigger and larger, mixing the colors into different shades of red, yellow, orange, purple and blue. It looked beautiful.

It was getting later and later, but no one wanted to leave. Under an endless dark blue sky with your best friends, who would want to?

"Hey! Look at that!" Olette exclaimed as she pointed at the sky. "Did you guys see that?"

"See what?" Vanitas asked.

"The shooting star!"

"Nope."

"Hey! One just passed right by!" Hayner exclaimed excitedly.

"I don't see any-" I stopped in mid-sentence as a bright star zoomed by in a flash.

I quickly closed my eyes and whispered, "I wish for Roxas to move back to Twilight Town."

Please come true.

Please.

* * *

><p><em>Two years.<em>

_Two years since I've last seen you._

_I haven't forgotten about you, Xion._

_I kept my promise._

_Have you?_

* * *

><p><strong>ROXAS'S POV<strong>

"Dad, do you really need all this crap?" I said as I entered the room, carrying a stack of papers. Thanks for making me waste my weekend doing this. Really.

"Yes, I do," he replied as I handed him the papers. "It's for my-"

"Whatever," I said, cutting him off. "What else do you want me to do?"

"Is it all right if you empty my drawers?"

I sighed in annoyance. "Why the heck can't you do it?"

"Roxas, I told you. I'm very busy."

"Doing what exactly? I bet you're not even working. I bet you're just playing Solitaire behind that screen."

He sighed. "I know you're still angry at me for making us move, but it's been two years, son. Can't you.. get over it?"

"Get over it? As in, forgive you? For making me get seperated from all my friends, for making me tranfer to a new school, for what? You know, you only thought of yourself when we moved! Mom's been fired four times in two years! All you gave us was a hard time!" I yelled at him.

"I'm sor-"

"Sorry isn't enough," I replied. "Whatever. I'll go empty your damn drawers."

Before he could say anything else, I rushed out and went back to the working room. When I was done making another stack of papers, I tripped over something- a book, perhaps- and fell down as the papers flew all over the place. Cursing under my breath, I started piling up the papers, but an unfamiliar box caught my attention. I put the papers aside and crawled over to it. I examined it in every corner and shaked it. It was pretty heavy and there seemed to be lots of stuff in it. I looked around, just to make sure my dad wasn't watching me. When the coast was clear, I opened up the box to find.. letters? Wow, probably about his job..

I picked one up and read the front.

**Roxas Uchiyama**

Wait.. what? I picked up another and another and another.

**Roxas Uchiyama.**

There seemed to be something written on the bottom right corner of it. It was kinda smudged, so I brought it closer to my face.

**From: Xion Uchida.**

My eyes widened. I ripped it open.

**Hi, Roxas!**

**I just wanted to know how it is in Traverse Town. I heard it's really bright and lively there at night. Am I wrong?**

**I know it's only been about a month, but it feels so lonely when you're not here. I still eat sea salt ice cream on the clock tower, but it just isn't the same. Plus, without you here, the ice cream tastes really salty. Weird, huh?**

**School's starting in a few weeks. It's gonna be really different without you there. If it's possible.. maybe you could come visit once in a while? That would be great; I'd really love to see you again.**

**Well, hope to see you soon.**

**- Xion**

I ripped open another one.

**Roxas,**

**I'm sorry, am I annoying you or something? You haven't replied to any of my letters..**

**I'm guessing you're really busy, but one letter wouldn't hurt.**

**Anyways, guess what? My friend Vanitas taught me how to do a three-sixty degrees flip! I have a bunch of bruises and cuts from trying, but it doesn't matter! I'm so HAPPY! Oh, I know I've said it a bunch of times, but thank you so much for the lessons! It really means a lot!**

**Hope to hear from you this time.**

**- Xion**

How many letters are they in this? I started counting. One, two, three, four, five..

Forty six.

Forty six letters.

My dad's been hiding these from me these past two years?

In anger, I stomped out of the room and opened the door to where my dad was with all my might.

"Roxas, what-"

"YOU'VE BEEN HIDING THESE FROM ME?" I yelled.

His eyes widened. "I was hoping you wouldn't find that.."

"WHY DID YOU HIDE THESE? WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?"

He sighed. "I was hoping you would.. forget about.. her.."

"Why? Xion's means so much to me, did you really think I would forget her that easily?"

"Since we moved here, all you ever said was Xion this, Xion that. You seemed so empty and depressed the first few months, I wanted you to just forget about her and move on," he explained. "My friend and I were planning to get you engaged to Shiki-"

"Shiki.." I repeated. "Shiki? Dad, you know- in fact- everyone knows she is in love with Neku and he feels the same. They're meant to be with each other, don't go screwing around with love. You don't control who anyone loves!" I walked to the door and just when I was about to close it, I said, "Sometimes I wish you were never my dad." And with that, I slammed the door.

I ran up the stairs to my room and shut the door behind me.

I read all her letters, laughing at her jokes and feeling so happy that so many things in Twilight Town reminded her of me. After a bit of time, I finally got to the final letter.

**Thinking of you, wherever you are.**

**We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend.**

**Now I will step forward to realize this wish.**

**And who knows:**

**starting a new journey may not be so hard,**

**or maybe it has already begun.**

**There are many worlds, but they share the same sky.**

**One sky, one destiny.**

**I miss you, Roxas.**

**- Xion**

I stared at the letter.

I read it again, over and over, trying to grasp the meaning behind the letter.

Maybe she means that..

No matter how far apart we are, our hearts are always one and they'll bring us back together one day.

"One sky, one destiny.."

A single tear rolled down my cheek.

I miss you, too, Xion.

* * *

><p>DAYUMMM, how cheesy can I get? LOL Oh, and the stupid get raped by a hippo thing.. my friend said that to the person he hated and I laughed for fifteen minutes, I'm not even kidding. LOL<p>

REVIEW PLEASE? :)


	25. Home

One word: SUMMER.

YES, FINALLY, I'M FREE! :'D NO MORE EXAMS, STRESS, HOMEWORK, MEAN TEACHERS AND ALL THAT CRAP FOR TWO MONTHS. YESYESYESYES! x3 LOL, OH RIGHT. **GUESS WHO PRE-ORDERED THE KINGDOM HEARTS: DREAM DROP DISTANCE MARK OF MASTERY EDITION BUNDLE?** YES. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW EXCITED I AM. AND HAVE YOU GUYS PLAYED THE DEMO? IT'S SO EPIC. But I miss the old Traverse Town theme. :( BUT IT'S OKAY, AS LONG AS THEY MADE A NEW KH GAME.

Another thing: I sincerely apologize for the shortness of these chapters. The story is already near its end, in fact, there's one chapter left. There isn't much to write about anymore, so please forgive me.

One last thing: thank you for the reviews! And one more chapter left! :0 Oh, I've had a few questions on who Roxas's dad is.. well, I actually haven't decided on who it was. xD So, it could be anyone you want it to be, heheh.

* * *

><p>Skateboarding Lessons<p>

Chapter 25

Home

ROXAS'S POV

_Knock._

"Go away." I said darkly.

_Knock, knock._

"Go away!"

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

"I SAID, GO AWAY!"

The person behind the door opened it anyway.

"Roxas.." it was my dad. I glared sharp daggers at him before turning away to face my computer screen once more. There was an awkward silence between us and the only thing you could hear was the sound the keyboard made every time I tapped a letter. I was still angry at him for what he did; making us move, hiding all forty six letters. I haven't faced him since that day and I could tell mom is getting worried. It's been what, three weeks? Well, too bad. There's nothing he could do to make up for it.

After about five minutes of silence, I had had it. I spun around with an annoyed look on my face.

"Are you here just to annoy the crap out of me?" I asked rudely. A pinch of hurt appeared on his face, but I didn't care. "If you don't have anything to do here, leave." I spun around again to continue typing my message to Axel. Even his stupid jokes couldn't lift my mood.

My father remained silent. He just stood in place, not moving a muscle. He was staring at the ground, seemingly trying to tell me something, but wasn't sure how to start.

I spun around once more. "Okay, can you just leave already? You're really getting on my last ner-"

"We're moving back to Twilight Town."

"-ve and.." I trailed off. Did he just say what I think he said? "W-What?"

"The company.. it isn't doing very well here in Traverse Town. The boss decided we should transfer again and he was open to suggestions on where we should go next," I knew exactly what he was about to say. Pretty obvious, no? "And I suggested we transfer back to Twilight Town. Everyone agreed, since the business was doing pretty good there and we could all head back to our original homes. Start packing, we're leaving in a week."

My eyes were wide open. There were so many things I wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out. My old man opened the door and exited my room. He was in the process of closing my door, and that was when the words finally managed to come out.

"Dad," I said. I couldn't see him, but the door halted to a stop. "Thank you."

It was such a simple word, yet I just know that it meant a lot for him. Heh, guess there was something he could do to make up for it.

I'm moving back to Twilight Town. I'M MOVING BACK TO TWILIGHT TOWN.

I could see Xion again!

The thought of it instantly brought a smile to my face. A smile as wide as the Cheshire Cat's. As goofy as a Mad Hatter's. Heck, I swear it was so wide that the corner of my lips were touching my ears. We could finally be together again..

But I wanted my return to be a surprise. I couldn't let anyone see me. If Sora or Axel saw me, oh boy..

But where would I find her?

One new e-mail.

I actually haven't used my skateboard in a while. But I still go to the Clock Tower every Friday at five to watch the sunset and eat ice cream, just like what we would do after lessons. There are times when I pretend that you're sitting next to me.. What? That's how much I miss you, heheh.

Once I finished reading, I checked my calendar. We're moving in a week, right? So, I'll get there on..

Perfect.

* * *

><p>"Is that all?" mom asked. I threw my suitcase in my seat on train, wiping the sweat on my brow. Our furniture and all are on a different train, workers are gonna drive them to our house in Twilight Town.<p>

"Yup, that's the last of them." I said cheerfully. In just a few hours, I'll be back in sleepy little Twilight Town.

"Roxas!" a high-pitched voice yelled. I turned around to see the new friends I've made in this town (Neku, Shiki, Joshua, Beat and Rhyme) through the window. I ran outside.

"Thank goodness we made it!" Shiki exclaimed, panting heavily. "Geez, I thought you were leaving tomorrow!" I laughed. Typical Shiki, never paying close attention to anything.

"Man, don't leave without saying goodbye!" Josh exclaimed, ruffling my untamed hair.

"Sorry, guys." I apologized, fixing my hair.

"Roxas, do you really have to go? Don't you like it here in Traverse Town?" Rhyme asked sadly.

I smiled warmly. "I do like it here, but Twilight Town is my home. Nothing can replace it."

"Can't you stay a little longer? Maybe one more week?" the little girl asked.

"Sorry, Rhyme.." I said. "But I promise I'll visit you guys from time to time. And next summer vacation, maybe I could stay for a week or something."

"And maybe we could go skateboarding around this little town again." Beat smiled. "Prepare yourself. I'm gonna win again."

"No, I will."

"We'll see."

"Roxas, the train is leaving in ten minutes, you should get in-" my dad said.

"Give me a minute." I replied. He nodded.

"So.. I guess this is it.. huh, Uchiyama?" the person who hadn't spoken this whole time, Neku, asked.

I smiled sadly. Neku Sakuraba was my first friend here. And I was the first person he opened up to. These past two school years, Neku and I were inseperable. We did all our school work together, hung out; in short, we did everything together. We even taught each other certain things; I taught him how to skateboard a bit and he showed all sorts of programs that allowed me to create my own music. I taught him how to be a little more lively and open, while he taught me how to be more independant and wise. We pulled pranks on people (especially on Joshua, haha!) and seeing the victim's reaction would bring a small smile to his face, and it would feel like such an accomplishment. We have a bunch of inside jokes and I just love how I can act myself around him.

He was my Axel.

"Didn't you hear me? I'll come visit." I said.

He frowned. "You better not be lying."

"I'll be back, I promise."

"You know I don't believe in promises. That's what I hate about people; they make plenty of promises and break every single one of them."

"But this one's real," I said sincerely. "I never break my promises."

"Next summer."

"I'll be here." I smiled.

"Oh! Roxas! I almost forgot!" Rhyme chirped. She took something out of her pocket and tossed it at me.

"A pin?" I asked, examining it. The pin was black with a white symbol in the center that looked like a skull.

"Sorry it isn't much, but we figured we should get you something to remember your friends from Traverse Town." Shiki grinned.

"You like the design? Neku picked it out, he said a little bit of each of us could be found in that symbol." Joshua said.

I examined the pin once more. "Really?"

Neku sighed. "Can't you see?" he took the pin and started pointing at various places. He pointed at the skull's forehead. "Doesn't it look like a heart? This'll remind you of Shiki's sweetness and cheerfulness," Shiki giggled. The orange-haired teen pointed at the nose. "The shape of a diamond. Just remember how Joshua always beats us at cards." Joshua chuckled. Neku continued, not pointing anywhere specific. "The symbol looks like a skull, right? Well, it can easily remind you of Rhyme and Beat, since they both have skulls on their hats." Rhyme smiled, while Beat smirked. "I guess these two circles can remind you of my headphones." his lips curved into a small smile. "And lastly.. this is you." he pointed at the bottom of the pin, the skull's chin. "It's one part of your necklace." I couldn't help but smile.

I immediately pinned it to my shirt. "Thank you, guys.."

"Group hug!" Rhyme exclaimed. Shiki, Rhyme, Joshua, Beat and I were hugging, but that was when we realized that someone was missing.

"Neku, come on!" Rhyme exclaimed.

"I hate hugs." the sunset-haired teen said bluntly.

"It doesn't matter!" Shiki said as she pulled him into the hug. We all squished Neku, much to his dismay.

"Roxas!" my dad called out. "Three minutes left!"

We all let go. "See you guys next summer, all right?"

"Try to visit during the holidays!" Joshua said.

"I'll try!" I entered the train and automatically opened the window as it started moving. "Bye! I'll miss you guys!" I waved.

They all waved back sadly, yelling out many things like, "We'll miss you, too!" and "Come back soon!". I watched their figures get smaller and smaller, before disapearing. I sat down properly, placing a hand on my new pin.

"Goodbye, Traverse Town."

* * *

><p>"Roxas?" a soft voice asked. I cringed. Crap, I've been spotted. I turned around to find a familiar blonde girl.<p>

"Oh, Namine," I smiled. "It's nice to see you again."

"You, too!" she exclaimed. "Are you here to visit?"

"Actually.. I just moved back." I scratched the back of my head.

"That's great! Have you told Xion yet?"

"I'm kinda looking for her right now," I said. "I want it to be a surprise."

"Oh, it's Friday today. She'll be at the Clock Tower." with that, she turned around and started walking away.

"Namine!" she stopped in her tracks, though didn't turn around. "Thank you!" she continued.

I raced to the ice cream stand to buy a bar of sea salt ice cream and took a bite, savoring the salty, yet sweet, taste. I missed this. I checked the time: ten minutes until five. I ran up the stairs in full speed and opened the door, ecstatic to see the sunset and loving the feeling of being on top of the world. After two years, it felt amazing- no, amazing was an understatement. No words can describe how I'm feeling.

The seconds felt like hours. I couldn't wait to see her again. I swayed back and forth, waiting impatiently. When are you coming, Xion?

The door slowly swung open. A huge smile formed on my face.

"R-Roxas?" her voice. I forgot how soft and innocent it sounded.

I turned around.

"Xion," I smiled. "Missed me?"

In shock, the black-haired girl dropped her ice cream as tears began to form in her blue orbs. She ran into my arms and hugged me so tight, that I was losing out of breath. But it didn't matter at the moment.

She planted her soft lips on mine and released shortly after.

"I.. I'm back!" I exclaimed, grinning.

"You're home."

* * *

><p>Awwww. ;w;<p>

LOL at the KHII hint in the end. And YAY at the TWEWY characters! :D Might re-type this chapter though, I'm not satisfied. D: But enjoy the original version of chapter 25 for now! xD

Review please!


	26. Promise

Skateboarding Lessons

Chapter 26

Promise

It was that one time of the year when the sky in Twilight Town would be filled with stars. Three people were currently laying on the grass in their backyard, admiring the twinkling stars that danced in the midnight blue sky.

"Where's that constellation?" a blonde-haired girl asked in a cheerful tone.

"Um.. I'm not sure. All I really know is Orion," her father replied.

"Then where's Orion?"

"Uh.. Somewhere.."

The little girl giggled. "Dad, I thought you said you always paid attention in school."

"Yeah!" a raven-haired girl of the same age said, giggling as well. "And you said you were the smartest student in your grade."

"He told you that?" a black-haired woman asked, holding in her arms a sleeping two-year-old. "He was always caught sleeping in class."

"Dad, you liar!" the twins said in unison, pointing an accusing finger at him.

The sunshine-haired man scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. "Fine, you got me.. Thanks a lot, Xion."

"No problem, Roxas," she giggled, then turned to her daughters. "It's almost one am, girls. Time for bed."

"Alright, mom. I _am_ kinda tired.." the dark-haired twin said, yawning as her sister soon joined in.

The family entered the little house and walked up the stairs, into a light green room. The couple tucked their two girls in bed, giving them goodnight kisses in the process. They were about to exit the door, until one of the twins spoke up.

"Wait!" the blonde girl exclaimed. "Can you tell us a bedtime story?"

"Oh! A bedtime story! Please?" the other one pleaded.

Their parents sighed, though allowed their lips to curve into a small smile. Both of them walked over to the single beds; Roxas sat on his black-haired daughters's bed, while Xion sat on the other.

"So, what kind of story do yo-"

"ADVENTURE!"

"ROMANCE!"

"Sh, girls, you'll wake your brother up." their mother said as the baby in her arms stirred.

The sisters giggled. "Sorry."

"How about a fairytale?" Roxas suggested.

"How about.. the story of.." the black-haired girl trailed off.

"Oh! How did you two fall in love?" the other twin asked with excitement in her voice.

The young couple exchanged looks and smiled at each other, a faint blush on their cheeks.

"You wanna tell them?" Xion asked her husband.

"Nah, you're a better storyteller than I am," he replied, chuckling.

His wife turned to their kids, her smile still as bright as ever and a pink blush on her cheeks visible. "Well," she paused, replaying all their memories in her head. "It all started with a skateboarding lesson.."

* * *

><p>"You really had to tell them about that?" the blonde asked.<p>

"What? It's funny, and it's a part of our past. I don't wanna leave anything out." the charcoal-haired woman replied.

"Out of all the times Axel embarrassed me, you had to pick that one.." he frowned. "Oh, you're just mean."

She giggled, then proceeded in wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, smiling. "I love you, too," his frown returned. "But I'm still mad, you know."

Xion laughed. "Hey, Roxas.."

"Hm?"

"Promise we'll be together forever?"

"Promise."

**.the end.**

* * *

><p>And this is where Skateboarding Lessons ends!<p>

I hope you all liked the ending.

I truly loved writing this story. It helped me get better in writing as well as taught me a few things. Yes, an author's own story can even teach them something. Never give up on something you can't go a day without thinking. You'll find that special person one day, who knows, they might be right in front of you. Distance makes the mind forget, but the heart will always remember the bond you shared with someone. And many other things. I hope you guys remember the small messages I've put in this story. :)

Lastly, thank you all so much for all the faves and alerts. They mean a lot, knowing that people like my work.

But a huge, special shoutout to my amazing reviewers:

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**And all the anonymous reviewers, specifically:**  
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><strong>And all those who didn't leave a name!<strong>

(I'm terribly sorry if I forgot someone, by the way..)

You guys are my inspiration. You guys take the time to write me a review, saying what you liked about my latest chapter, what troubled you, the mistakes you've found, giving me some new ideas/suggestions and so much more. I love you all to death! *hearts*

Thank you. :)

~ KC-Chan13


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